| Font Size |
The Sena's problem is that it needs a candidate who will be acceptable to the people, considering the changing demography of the constituency as Thane is becoming more cosmopolitan in nature. The party will also have to take into account the fact that the district which has two MPs at present will have four after the delimitation of constituencies.
Thane has been a Sena fortress for the last two decades. The party's success here in the 2007 Municipal Corporation elections and the 2004 Assembly elections shows that the anti-incumbency factor has not affected the Sena.
The Sena has been looking for a strong candidate who could step into Paranjpe's shoes as he had already announced that he would not be contesting the next parliamentary elections owing to his ill health.
There are quite a few contenders, but the frontrunner among them is Thane district chief of the party, Eknath Shinde, considering that he is a strong Matoshree loyalist and has a good grassroots-level support. But, sources say, he may not be willing to leave Thane for Delhi, considering the strong position he is enjoying in the district.
Another contender is Anant Tare, an MLA from Thane. Tare is well educated, has some knowledge of Delhi politics and, like Paranjpe, is a Sainik to the core. He had contested against Union Minister for Minority Affairs A R Antulay from the Colaba constituency, but was defeated. However, for the Sena cadres, it is the party that matters rather than the candidate. “We will go by what Matoshree says,” says a Shiv Sainik.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|