SHIV SENA FACES STIFF CHALLENGE IN NOVEMBER 19 BY-ELECTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUMBAI 002199 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL IN SUBJECT: SHIV SENA FACES STIFF CHALLENGE IN NOVEMBER 19 BY-ELECTION REF: MUMBAI 1528 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Maharashtra state parliament by-elections scheduled for November 19 may represent a defining moment for Bal Thackeray's Marathi-based Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena movement. In the Malvan district of southwestern Maharashtra, erstwhile Shiv Sena leader Narayan Rane is standing for re-election as the Congress Party candidate against a Shiv Sena nominee after Rane's acrimonious departure from Shiv Sena last summer. Rane's exit from Shiv Sena and his subsequent alliance with Congress and elevation to Revenue Minister in the state government's ruling coalition signifies the worst political crisis for Shiv Sena since its founding (reftel). The outcome of the November 19 vote could give Shiv Sena an opportunity to re-organize and re-establish its position in local politics, or it may stand as the beginning of an inexorable slide from power for the organization and its founding family, the Thackerays. End Summary. -------------- -------------- -------------- Former Shiv Sena Chief Minister Seeks Election With Congress Party -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Following his bitter break with Shiv Sena ("Army of Shiva") founder Bal Thackeray last July over the role of Thackeray's son, Uddhav, in the party leadership, former Shiv Sena power broker Narayan Rane has joined forces with the Congress Party in one of the most dramatic moves in Maharashtra politics in recent years (reftel). Rane, a former Maharashtra chief minister, resigned his position as Speaker of the Opposition and his seat in the Maharashtra legislative assembly after the fallout with Thackeray and his son. Following negotiations with both the National Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, Rane subsequently joined the latter and was immediately given the cabinet-level position of Revenue Minister in Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's cabinet. Rane is now seeking re-election to his own long-held state parliament seat based in the Malvan district in the western coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra as the Congress Party's candidate. ¶3. (SBU) The Malvan district by-election is a hard-fought affair, with Shiv Sena pulling out all stops to defeat their former colleague. Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena executive president, accompanied by a team of Shiv Sena all-stars, including former chief minister Manohar Joshi, his cousin Raj Thackeray, and Ramadas Kadam, legislative assembly opposition leader, are campaigning in Malvan. An ageing Bal Thackeray was also expected to address Malvan campaign meetings. For its part, however, Congress has limited its active involvement in the local campaign - no party leaders have campaigned in Malvan district, for instance. Not all of its senior leadership seems ready to accept their longtime foil Rane with open arms as a new rival for influence within Congress. Congress's ruling coalition partner, the NCP, while not fielding a candidate of its own, has offered only a tepid endorsement and "moral" support for Rane, according to local media reports. ¶4. (SBU) Rane, however, has long cultivated ties in the Malvan constituency, and his supporters are working hard to get out his core voters, many of whom appear ready to vote the man, rather than the party. He is well-known in the district's villages and has pulled in the strong support of many long-time Konkan Shiv Sena supporters. His long history of providing patronage also provides him with a well of owed favors and well-wishers to draw on locally. -------------- -------------- Conventional Wisdom: Expect A Rane Win, But Nothing Is Certain -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The local conventional wisdom among political pundits holds that Rane will win in his home constituency. Mumbai Mirror News Editor Vaibhav Purandare, who has written extensively on Shiv Sena, told Poloff that he expects Rane to win easily. Rane's ties to the local community, the loyalty of his supporters, and resentment among some long-time party members over perceived mistreatment by the Thackerays bodes well for him. Parshuram Uparkar, Shiv Sena's candidate, is not considered a strong campaigner. Rane, however, does face considerable obstacles and some in the media, such as Maharashtra Times editor Bharat Raut, suspect this election might be closer than expected. According to Raut, many among the Malvan district's educated socio-economic elite have long resented Rane's high-handed, brash political style and might see this as an opportunity to be rid of him. The Congress Party candidate has only won once previously in the Malvan district. According to Raut, the local district, which has seen recent growth among the Maratha community (Shiv Sena's traditional power base),might be hesitant to support the Congress Party, even with Rane as the party's local flag bearer. -------------- The Stakes High For Both Sides -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The stakes are high for both Rane and Shiv Sena. For Rane, a loss means the end of his political career. Congress and the NCP have signaled that this by-election battle is primarily a fight between Rane and Shiv Sena and blame for a loss will be Rane's alone. A win, however, would rejuvenate Rane's stalled legislative career and could offer him the chance to stake a claim for the regional Congress leadership within a year or two. ¶7. (SBU) For Shiv Sena, this election may represent a defining moment in its struggle for continued relevancy in Maharashtra politics. Rane's continued popularity appears to have caught the Thackerays and Shiv Sena leadership by surprise. Unlike past leadership defectors, Rane has continued to draw media attention months after his break from the party and appeared to have committed supporters still within Shiv Sena's lower ranks. The resignation of three of Rane's Shiv Sena supporters on November 4 further embarrassed the organization's leadership. Rane claimed that at least a dozen more Shiv Sena state legislators were ready to bolt for the Congress Party. Should Rane win, Shiv Sena may face a rush of defections immediately following the election, threatening its position as leader of the opposition in the short term, and its existence as an organized political force over the long term. A win, however, would allow Shiv Sena to reclaim one of its strongholds (although one built by Rane) in the Konkan and would give it breathing room to reorganize in advance of next year's district contests and the 2007 Mumbai municipal elections. Raut termed the election a real "acid test" for the long term viability of the party and the Thackeray family's hold on the leadership. ¶8. (SBU) The other major local political parties also have dogs in this fight. Should Rane win and produce the defectors he claims to hold in waiting, the BJP would gain the upper hand over Shiv Sena as the most important local legislative opposition party (Shiv Sena currently has 59 seats in the state assembly, while its ally BJP has 54). Should additional defectors win later by-elections with Congress, the NCP-Congress Party ruling coalition balance of power would shift in favor of Congress (NCP has 71 seats verses 68 for Congress). Furthermore, a weakened Shiv Sena might signal the decline of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) as a regional and national political force. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Whatever happens in the by-election, it is clear that the result will produce repercussions far beyond the Malvan district and the Maharashtra legislative assembly. A clear Rane victory and further defections from the Shiv Sena could well accelerate the demise of a regional party that has put its mark on Maharashtra politics for the past four decades. Post will follow-up septel on the challenges facing Shiv Sena as it faces both a leadership succession and changing electoral demographics in Maharashtra. End comment. OWEN