MNS ‘engine’ changes direction yet again to reverse party fortunes

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 26

Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has altered the shape of its symbol yet again in a bid to reverse its sliding fortunes.

The Election Commission had earlier this month allowed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to change the direction of its election symbol, a railway engine, from right to left. 

“The changed election symbol will become effective immediately and be used in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) 

elections,” party leader Shirish Sawant told reporters here today.

The MNS had originally contested the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly polls with the symbol of a railway engine running from right to left. The party had then bagged 13 seats in the state legislature. 

In the 2008 elections to the Mumbai municipal corporation, the MNS won 28 seats on the same symbol.

However, after several commentators pointed out that the symbol indicated the party’s “backward outlook”, the MNS got the direction of the engine changed from left to right in 2012. 

The complete washout in the 2014 Assembly elections forced a rethink and the party leadership gave the green signal to get the engine running leftwards.

With several corporators from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leaving the party, Raj Thackeray’s supporters are hoping that the original symbol will help the outfit in the forthcoming civic polls.