Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday announced “unconditional support” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, Thackeray also said that the MNS will not contest the Lok Sabha elections but prepare itself for the Maharashtra Assembly elections expected to be held after the Lok Sabha elections this year.

The clarification by Thackeray came after his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah sparked speculation that he may join the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) in Maharashtra.

“I don’t want Rajya Sabha or Vidhan Sabha, I told Fadnavis. I told them I have no expectations and no conditions. My full support for Modi, BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar), Sena (Eknath Shinde),” Thackeray said addressing the rally.

Referring to his meeting with Shah in Delhi last month, Thackeray said he wanted to understand the BJP’s proposal. “For the last one and a half years, CM of Maharashtra has been saying we should work together. Fadnavis too said the same thing. So I went to meet Amit Shah to understand what was the proposal… We spoke of seat distribution. The last time I sat for negotiations was in 1995. I don’t have the temperament of negotiations,” he said.

Thackeray further said that he would not compromise on contesting elections on any other symbol other than that of his own party. “I have gained our symbol with a lot of hard work. There will be no compromise on it,” he said.

Thackeray’s remarks offering support to the NDA were welcomed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “I welcome him wholeheartedly. PM Modi has supported Mahayuti. PM Modi has done development in the country and has taken the country forward… Raj Thackeray did not put any condition for his support. Our Shiv Sena is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. Our Shiv Sena is not Congress-sponsored Shiv Sena,” he said.

A firebrand leader known for his hardline pro-Marathi stand, Raj Thackeray separated from the Shiv Sena and went on to form the MNS in 2006 after separating from Uddhav Thackeray. While the MNS chief’s remarks against north Indians kept him in headlines and controversies, they did little to enable the MNS to take centrestage in Maharashtra’s politics.

The MNS made its mark in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections, bagging 13 seats in the 288-member House, but declined significantly in the elections in 2014 and 2019 when it managed to win only one seat. The situation was similar in the BMC where MNS won 28 seats in the 2012 elections but could only bag seven in 2017. Six out of these seven corporators later joined the Shiv Sena.

It is the split in the Shiv Sena engineered by the exit of Eknath Shinde that has given Thackeray the right opportunity for revival. For the BJP, the MNS can help act as a counter to Uddhav Thackeray’s influence within the Marathi vote bank. On the other hand, the MNS acts as another attempt by the BJP top expand its base by getting more like-minded parties on board.

For the MNS, support to the Mahayuti can provide it the right platform to craft a revival. It could mean a higher number of seats to contest — Raj Thackeray has been looking to make inroads into the Vidarbha region for sometime and an alliance with the Mahayuti could give it a boost.