Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray may face the loss of his party symbol, the railway engine, as well as the status of a regional party following MNS's disappointing performance in the recent assembly elections, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
In the 2009 assembly elections, MNS secured 13 seats, but the party's performance dwindled in the following years, winning only one seat each in 2014 and 2019. This time, MNS failed to secure any seats. Notably, Raj Thackeray’s son Amit made a disappointing debut, finishing third in the Mahim assembly constituency. Thackeray described the results as “unbelievable” on Saturday.
Raj Thackeray Reaction:
Former principal secretary of the state legislature, Anant Kalse, stated on Sunday that MNS cannot claim its party symbol, as it failed to win a single seat in the recent elections. He added that the party will have to select from the free symbols allotted to independents by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to a report of Hindustan Times, Political analyst, Mrinalini Naniwadekar, said, ECI rules, any party should garner at least eight per cent votes if it has zero to one seat, six per cent votes if it has two seats and three per cent votes if it has three seats, in order to retain its party status and symbol.