PUNE, 18 November 2005 — The Malvan by-election in Maharashtra state would well be the last roar of the Tiger Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena supremo. With the regional media largely ignoring him and anticipating a possible defeat of his party candidate, Thackeray failed to rally the crowd while campaigning in Malvan.
Indicating that he may quit the party post, Thackeray said in Malvan that this would be his last election rally and he would only appear once a year during the Hindu festival of Dassera at the Shivaji Park Grounds in Dadar, Bombay.
Thackeray attacked Narayan Rane, the revenue minister and a former Sena leader who is now the Congress candidate, calling him a betrayer and had back-stabber. Thackeray claimed to have groom Rane in his formative years in the party.
The people of Konkan region will never forgive Rane for this betrayal and he would be defeated, Thackeray said.
Rane, in his campaign, too went on the offensive saying Thackeray had not only betrayed him but also the party.
Many however did not buy Thackeray’s statement on Malvan being his last campaigning ground, calling it a gimmick.
And it look more like it for Thackeray, when asked about his speech in Malvan was true, said that he would still head the Shiv Sena Advisory Council post.
In another major development, the state government has beefed up the security of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, after intelligence agencies informed the government that Naxalites had vowed to kill the chief minister.
Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who is also the home minister, said that the government would take all necessary steps to counter the Naxalites threat.
