MUMBAI: Political parties are known to pull out all the stops in their quest for power, even if it means that they have to resort to superstition, numerology and horoscope. And the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and its chief Raj Thackeray have turned out to be no exception to this rule.
Until now, the party’s election symbol was a railway engine headed in the left direction. But from now on, the engine would be shown as moving towards the right. After the party sought the modification of its symbol, the election commission sanctioned the same.
Although MNS leaders are in denial over the party being guided by superstition, numerology and horoscope, they are unable to give a convincing reason for the decision to modify the party symbol.
Nonetheless, MNS sources conceded that the engine moving in the right direction could be interpreted and perceived as a symbol of progress, as people tend to read and write from the left to the right, while the earlier direction meant a backwards movement. And the party top brass believes that the change in the direction of its election symbol, may positively influence the outcome of the forthcoming civic polls.
The MNS has apparently drawn its inspiration from the party supremo, who regards ‘9’ as his lucky number. Raj’s penchant for his lucky number could be seen from his fleet of cars, all of which have the registration number ‘9.’ It was on March 9,2006, that Raj announced his decision to float the MNS.