The surprise over the Se’s latest position is all the greater because it is by no means considered close to the Congress, although a BJP leader has said that the Sainiks have always had a soft corner for the Congress ever since their supremo Bal Thackeray supported the Emergency. The Se did support the Congress’s presidential candidate, Pratibha Patil, in 2007 instead of the BJP’s Bhairon Singh Shekhawat because she is Marathi, which is the only thing that counts for the Se.