Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray addressed a public meeting in Dharavi, Mumbai, stating that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are a fight between dictatorship and democracy. He took a dig at the BJP and their slogan ‘Ab ki baar 400 paar,’ stating that the saffron party will face defeat. Thackeray emphasized the importance of safeguarding democracy and mentioned that Maharashtra played a significant role in the BJP’s success in the 2019 elections, thanks to the support of 41 candidates from the NDA fold. He stated that the 2024 general elections will determine the fate of dictatorship versus democracy. Thackeray clarified that he is not against Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah but has united to combat dictatorial tendencies. The opposition slogan, according to Thackeray, will be ‘ab ki baar, bjp tadipar.’ He further mentioned that Maharashtra will lead in defeating the BJP. The NDA alliance, comprising BJP and Shiv Sena, won 41 out of 48 seats from Maharashtra in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Thackeray formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra by joining hands with the NCP and Congress after the 2019 assembly polls. However, the MVA government collapsed in June 2022 following a rebellion by senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde against Thackeray’s leadership. Shinde formed an alliance with the BJP and became the chief minister. Currently, the MVA alliance, consisting of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), is yet to decide the seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha elections.