Ayodhya is new battleground for Thackeray tussle

With Hindutva in focus, the ancient town of Ayodhya - the birthplace of Lord Ram - seems to be the new battleground for the two warring Thackeray cousins from Maharashtra.

For the Shiv Sena and its rival the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the days ahead are crucial in the run-up to the mega municipal and local body polls in the state.

And their fresh battleground is in Uttar Pradesh, the focal point of the Hindi heartland and the BJP’s bastion. Two Ayodhya visits in June from Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya and MNS President Raj Thackeray are likely to light up Maharashtra politics.

Raj is expected to visit Ayodhya on June 5 while his nephew Aaditya, the Yuva Sena President and the state’s Tourism, Protocol and Environment Minister, will be there on June 10.

Read | Ayodhya's Marathi 'poster' boy: Shiv Sena, MNS exchange jibes using hoardings

Raj seems to have the backing of the BJP with top state leaders - state BJP President Chandrakant Patil, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis and his counterpart in the Council Pravin Darekar - agreeing with various points that he has been raising.

Raj may also have a one-on-one meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. "Hindutva has become the number one political agenda in Maharashtra," said veteran political analyst and writer Prakash Akolkar. "In Ayodhya, the Shiv Sena will have to play in the BJP’s pitch, which is curated by the BJP itself and the other side has MNS, which has the BJP’s backing."

The teams from both the Shiv Sena and the MNS will head to Lucknow and Ayodhya for advance preparations for the high-profile visits.

In the run-up to the Ayodhya visit, Raj addressed three rallies - on April 2 in Mumbai, April 13 in Thane and May 1 in Aurangabad - during which he raised the issue of mosque loudspeakers and threatened to play the Hanuman Chalisa at double the volume if they did not stop.

For his part, Uddhav is expected to address two mega rallies - on May 14 in Mumbai and June 8 in Aurangabad.

Both the parties, however, claimed that their respective Ayodhya visits should not be seen as political. During the visits, Raj and Aaditya will seek the blessings of Ram Lalla and Lord Hanuman.