Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has called on Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to campaign for the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls on May 10. The MES has been fighting for the merger of 865 “Marathi-speaking” villages of the Belgaum-Karwar belt in Karnataka with Maharashtra, and is contesting some seats in the district.
Raut, who is himself campaigning for the MES in Karnataka, criticized the BJP for trying to defeat the party, saying they should feel ashamed for opposing the interests of Marathi-speaking people. He also called on CM Shinde to join him in Belgaum and campaign against the BJP.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) is committed to the cause of Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum-Karwar, and Raut emphasized that the party has a long history of supporting the MES’s efforts. He pointed out that the (undivided) Shiv Sena had “martyred” 69 workers and party founder Bal Thackeray was jailed for three months over the border row.
The Karnataka Assembly polls are being closely watched by political analysts, as they could have an impact on the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. While the Congress is the principal opposition party in Karnataka seeking to dislodge the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also fielded candidates.
The ruling allies in Maharashtra, the BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena, may find themselves at odds over the MES’s campaign in Karnataka. However, Raut’s call for Shinde and Fadnavis to campaign for the MES may signal a willingness on the part of the Shiv Sena to put its support for Marathi-speaking people ahead of its alliance with the BJP.
Overall, the MES’s campaign in Karnataka highlights the ongoing tensions between Maharashtra and Karnataka over the border dispute, and the Shiv Sena’s continued commitment to the cause of Marathi-speaking people in the region.