Maha CM, Fadnavis should campaign for Belgaum-based MES in K'taka polls: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis should campaign for the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti in the Karnataka Assembly polls scheduled for May 10.

MES has been spearheading a movement for several decades now to get 865 "Marathi-speaking" villages of Belgaum-Karwar belt in Karnataka merged with Maharashtra and is contesting some seats in the district.

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Speaking to reporters, Raut said, "I am going to Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka to canvas for votes for the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti. Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis should go to Belgaum and campaign for MES." "However, the situation is different as they (BJP) have gone there (Belgaum) to defeat them (MES). They (BJP) should feel ashamed that they have gone to defeat Marathi people," Raut claimed.

Raut said CM Shinde claims he has taken part in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border agitation, adding if the latter had indeed done so then he should be in Belgaum to campaign for the MES and against the BJP.

The BJP and Shinde's Shiv Sena are ruling allies in Maharashtra since June last year. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is committed to the Marathi-speaking people of Belgaum-Karwar and the (undivided) Shiv Sena had "martyred" 69 workers and party founder Bal Thackeray was jailed for three months over the border row, Rajya Sabha MP Raut said.

While the Congress is the principal opposition party in Karnataka seeking to dislodge the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government, the Nationalist Congress Party too has fielded candidates.