Summary:
However, the tiger in Maharashtra's politics, the Shiv Sena, is gradually reverting to the agenda of Hindutva, while moving beyond its core Marathi manoos plank. Sena's North India in-charge Vinay Shukla said that the issue of Marathi pride formed the core of the Sena's politics, but Hindutva helped widen its appeal. Not to be undone, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's estranged cousin Raj is reaching out to north Indian migrants and the Jain community, who once faced the wrath of his party. Some Sena leaders feel that in case of a face-off, the linguistic polarisation is likely to benefit the party (Sena) with Marathi voters preferring it over the MNS. This outreach may be an attempt to dilute the MNS' image for a possible electoral understanding for the Lok Sabha polls," admitted an MNS leader..