WB polls: Sena ‘tiger’ to take on Royal Bengal Tigress

By Quaid Najmi Mumbai, Jan 18 : Hoping to extend its ‘territory’ beyond Maharashtra, the ruling Shiv Sena has announced it will sound the poll bugle soon in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections due in another three-four months.
The proclamation by party’s Chief Spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut’s was on expected lines and it will be their third foray into the West Bengal polls after 2016 (Assembly) and 2019 (General) where it notched a nil in terms of seats.
Previously, the Sena has contested different elections in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir in its ambition to command influence nationally.
Late on Sunday, Raut said: “After discussions with party chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena has decided to contest the WB assembly elections. We are reaching Kolkata soon,!!” and greeted ‘Jai Hind’ and in Bengali ‘Joi Bangla’.
Raut’s timing is significant — just a week before January 23 — the 124th birth anniversary of Bengal’s great son Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and 95th birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder and ‘Hindu HridaySamrat’ the late Balasaheb Thackeray.
However, it is not clear yet whether the Sena will hitch onto one of the major political alignments being cobbled in West Bengal or prefer ‘ekla cholo re’ (go solo).