Indicating growing fissures in the saffron parivar, the Shiv Sena has decided to contest the coming Gujarat Assembly elections on its own. On Sunday, Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had backed Sushma Swaraj as the NDA’s PM candidate, in a bid to dash the aspirations of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
The JD(U) too has sent clear signals that Mr Modi will not be acceptable to it for PM. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has decided to campaign against Mr Modi during the November Assembly elections in Gujarat, where the JD(U) too will put up its own candidates.
This is the first time the Sena will fight against the BJP in Assembly elections. Sources said the relationship between the Sena brass and Mr Modi has gone downhill after the Gujarat chief minister started warming up to Maharashtra Navni-rman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who was made a state guest while on a visit to Gujarat last year.
JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav also confirmed his party, with two MLAs in Gujarat, will contest on its own. “We will go for alliances with the BJP wherever it wants us, but not in Gujarat”, Mr Yadav said.