Shiv Sena to pull out Marathi card, focus on urban areas

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena will aggressively pursue its 'sons-of-the-soil' agenda in an attempt to score over the BJP in the post-alliance era, sources said.

"We will go hammer and tongs against the powerful Gujarati lobby in the BJP and thus strengthen our Marathi votebank in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and the Konkan. The entire belt has as many as 65 assembly seats," said a senior Sena leader.

"Our main objective will be to raise developmental issues pertaining to Maharashtra. The Sena will hereafter assiduously project itself as a regional party," he added.

Pointing out that the Sena will have to gear itself up for its first election minus Balasaheb Thackeray and minus the BJP too, he said, "Uddhavji has done great spadework with his constant tours across the state. Also, his vision documents will steel the party's resolve to face the polls and garner a large number of seats."

For a start, the Sena held a show of strength outside Matoshree, the Bandra residence of the Thackerays, late Thursday evening following dissolution of the Sena-BJP alliance. Angry Shiv Sainiks raised slogans condemning the BJP and the party's national president Amit Shah for "cheating" the Sena.

Matoshree is keen on having the Ramdas Athavale-led RPI on its side, it is learnt. The RPI too may prefer Sena to the BJP as Athavale joined the 'maha yuti' in 2011 at Bal Thackeray's behest. "We don't have plans at this point to win new allies," said the Sena leader. Sena leaders met Uddhav at Matoshree after the Sena-BJP split.