Maharashtra Assembly Elections: From 13 To 1 To Nil — Raj Thackeray's MNS Draws A Blank

Maharashtra Election Results 2024: Raj Thackeray's MNS has performed poorly in the 2024 Maharashtra elections, failing to win any seats for the first time since its formation.

Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has been on a downhill road since its first elections in 2009.

Source : PTI

Maharashtra Election Results 2024: Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's political trajectory is continuing its downhill trajectory in the 2024 Maharashtra elections. While an initial lead for Amit Thackeray in the Mahim constituency raised expectations, all hopes for MNS were dashed when Mahesh Sawant, a candidate of Uddhav Thackeray's MNS took an unassailable lead.

The MNS failed to open its account for the first time since its inception in 2008. In 2009, riding on "pro-Marathi" and "pro-Balasaheb Thackeray" sentiments, Raj Thackeray's party managed to squeeze in 13 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly. It contested 143 seats then.

Raj Thackeray And MNS: Electoral History

In the 2014 Assembly election, the MNS read the ground sentiments wrong and fielded 219 candidates but lost in 218 constituencies. The rut for MNS continued in 2019 when it contested 101 seats and returned with one MLA again. The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election has proved to be an all-time low outing for Raj Thackeray's MNS.

The party's Lok Sabha contests have been even more miserable. MNS has never been able to send a leader to the Lok Sabha. In 2019 and 2024, it did not even fight the polls.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena In 2024

In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, Raj Thackeray focused on the seats in Mumbai, contesting 25 out of the 36 seats. In total, the MNS received the BJP's support for his son Amit Thackeray in Mahim. In fact, the BJP went against its Mahayuti partner to support Amit Thackeray. But Amit lost the seat to Mahesh Sawant of the Shiv Sena-UBT and Shiv Sena's Sada Sarvankar and stood third.

The BJP and Raj Thackeray saga has been filled with several twists and U-turns. 

The BJP dismissed allegations against Raj Thackeray that he was "anti-North Indian". Devendra Fadnavis claimed that the BJP's support for MNS's Amit Thackeray was based on the fact that Raj Thackeray had "embraced the path of Hindutva".

Now, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Raj Thackeray's MNS is down to its lowest tally of zero. It managed to garner just 1.57% of the total votes cast in the Maharashtra polls.

Its lone MLA in Maharashtra Sharad Sonawne quit the party in 2019 and joined the Shiv Sena. However, Sonawne later left the Shiv Sena and won the Junnar seat this year as an independent.