Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has called on party workers to prepare for contesting 225-250 out of the 288 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, a senior party leader revealed today.

Following a strategic meeting, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar addressed reporters, detailing the party’s election plans. He mentioned that MNS functionaries would soon embark on visits to various regions across the state to assess and report back on election preparations to Thackeray.

"The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or MNS had declared support for the BJP-led NDA during the Lok Sabha elections," Nandgaonkar noted. "Raj Thackeray also campaigned for the NDA, though his party was not contesting anywhere." He emphasized Thackeray's directive: "Raj Thackeray asked party workers to be prepared to contest 225 to 250 seats in the assembly elections."

When asked about potential alliances, particularly with the ruling Mahayuti coalition of the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP, Nandgaonkar clarified, "We are not holding any discussions right now. And with whom we are going to hold talks?" He added, "We have contested elections on our own till now. We will see what happens in the future, but if we have to prepare for the polls."

Since its formation in 2006, the MNS has faced varying degrees of electoral success. The party contested its first assembly elections in 2009, securing 13 seats. However, in the 2014 and 2019 state elections, the MNS managed to win only one seat each time.

Sandeep Deshpande, another MNS leader, shared insights from the meeting, noting that Thackeray had commented on the voting patterns in the recent elections. He stated, "Thackeray noted that the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi -- of which the Shiv Sena (UBT) is a part -- got anti-Narendra Modi votes in Muslim-dominated areas, but did not get much support in Marathi-speaking areas."

Deshpande quoted Thackeray, explaining that "Marathi-speakers were angry with Uddhav Thackeray because he joined hands with the Congress and NCP (SP)," suggesting that this discontent could benefit the MNS in the upcoming elections.