'Sena's wins are short-lived glory'

Political experts say party, grappling with leadership crisis, is on the decline despite winning Mumbai, Thane mayoral polls

Political experts say party, grappling with leadership crisis, is onu00a0 the decline despite winning Mumbai, Thane mayoral polls

Back-to-back victories in the Mumbai and Thane mayoral polls have given Shiv Sena something to cheer about.
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Sainiks, who were shattered after the party's consecutive defeats in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, are now upbeat and raring to go. However, political observers believe this is a short-lived glory.

Disillusioned

"The mayor polls were almost like the internal elections, as the Sena was in power in both the municipal corporations. The biggest problem was that this was an open election.

Had it been a secret ballot, the Sena would have had to face the reality," said Mumbai Congress spokesperson N Rayeen.

Yes, We Can: Shiv Sena's back-to-back wins in Mumbai and Thane mayoral polls have boosted Sainiks' morale.

He added, "The main problem with the party is the leadership crisis sometimes the father is at the helm and then the son steps in.

After two defeats in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections, the party workers have become disillusioned."

In fact, immediately after Shraddha Jadhav was elected Mumbai mayor, senior Sena corporator met MNS chief Raj Thackeray, saying she was inclined towards his ideology.
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"The Sena is on a downhill. For a moment, it appears as if it's rising, but they are back to square one," explained Anurag Chaturvedi, a political expert.

However, the Sena insists the wins have boosted the morale of the Sainiks. "Everyone has respect for Balasaheb and the party.

The other parties tried to indulge in horsetrading, but failed. Our victories are an indication that the masses are with us," said Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe.

Did you know?
Shiv Sena's Shraddha Jadhav was elected Mumbai mayor after she got 114 votes compared to Congress-NCP candidate Priscilla Kadam's 96 votes. Sena's Ashok Vaiti is the new Thane mayor.

9
The number of times in succession that the Sena bagged the Thane mayor's post