Raj Thackeray cheers for Modi as PM, says won’t oppose BJP

 Following his meeting with Modi’s emissary and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari a few days back, Raj Thackeray announced that his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) would not be putting up candidates against BJP and support Narendra Modi’s candidature for the PM.

‘We will contest the Lok Sabha elections. I will show my party’s strength during the elections. We will support Narendra Modi for PM’s post. Modi should become the Prime Minister of the country,’ said Raj addressing his party workers on the eighth foundation day of MNS at the Shanmukhananda hall in Mumbai.

BJP has also welcomed this move by MNS. Gadkari had asked the MNS chief not to field his nominees to avoid division in vote against Congress. On the other hand, the MNS-Sena combat will take place in six Lok Sabha constituencies, including three in Mumbai. MNS’s Bala Nandgaonkar will take on Sena’s Arvind Sawant in Mumbai south. Congress’s Milind Deora and AAP’s Meera Sanyal are the other two candidates.

The MNS will not put up candidates in the Mumbai north-east and the Mumbai north-west constituencies, which are BJP seats. There are indications that the party may field Pravin Darekar, MLA, or his brother, corporator Prakash Darekar from Mumbai North, from where BJP’s Gopal Shetty is contesting against Congress MP Snajay Nirupam, sources said.