Shiv Sena recently released its list of 11 candidates from West Bengal for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. It’s the first time the Uddhav Thackeray led party is fielding its candidates from the State. The party is expected to release another list of four more candidates on Saturday which will bring their total number of candidates to 15.
Depending on BJP’s rising popularity in the state, Shiv Sena has tried its luck to forward its Hindutva agenda on TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s turf.
Shiv Sena’s state general secretary Ashok Sarkar said, “Our aim is to take the Hindutva agenda forward in West Bengal. Thus, we will fight against the BJP, TMC, CPIM, and Congress here.”
The party is also fielding candidates in Kolkata Dakshin, Jadavpur, Basirhat, Barasat, Dumdum, Barrackpore, Bankura, Purulia, Bishnupur, Medinipur, Kanthi, Malda North, Birbhum, Bolpur and Murshidabad.
Taking a dig at BJP, a party member said that the candidates that the BJP has fielded are those who are evading action in Sharadha and Narada scams. Calling BJP a private limited company, the source claimed that no party is fighting for the rights of Hindus.
The Shiv Sena will be contesting the elections alone in West Bengal, despite having decent relations with the ruling TMC. Back in November 2017, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackery had met Mamata Banerjee during her visit to Mumbai and both the leaders had announced that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would work on development projects with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.