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Maharashtra: BJP meet today to discuss strategy, Shiv Sena sends MLAs at resort

The Shiv Sena has send all its 56 MLAs at Mumbai suburban resort as a precautionary measure to save them from any poaching attempts by the BJP.

Maharashtra: BJP meet today to discuss strategy, Shiv Sena sends MLAs at resort

Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray with Devendra Fadnavis. (Photo: Twitter | Shiv Sena)

As the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday invited the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra, the BJP leaders will meet today to discuss the future course of action, as its warring ally Shiv Sena seems unwilling to budge down from its demands of equal partnership in government formation and 2.5 years of Chief Ministership for each party.

The Shiv Sena has send all its 56 MLAs at Mumbai suburban resort as a precautionary measure to save them from any poaching attempts by the BJP. Reports suggest that party leader Aaditya Thackeray too stayed with them overnight at the resort.

The BJP with 105 seats in the 288 seat assembly is the largest one and has comfortably crossed the majority mark along with its pre-poll alliance partner the Shiv Sena which bagged 56 seats.

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BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Devendra Fadnavis on November 8 said that there were never any talks of rotational Chief Ministership in his presence and that Shiv Sena has betrayed the mandate by making such demands. He added that Union minister Nitin Gadkari too confirmed the same after having a word with BJP chief Amit Shah. However, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray countered Fadnavis, saying such an arrangement was agreed by BJP chief Amit Shah ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is also keeping a close tab at the situation and are keeping their MLAs under huddle to save them from any poaching attempts.

“The Governor should ensure if BJP has majority or not, otherwise there will be horse trading… Despite that, if BJP forms the government in the state, we are going to vote against BJP on the floor of the house. If the BJP government falls, in the interest of the state we will try to form an alternate government. We will see if Shiv Sena votes against BJP in the house to pull down the BJP government… We have called a meeting of all our MLAs on November 12. (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar will also attend,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik was quoted by aews agency ANI as saying.

A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tendered his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the governor on Saturday invited the BJP to form the government in the state.

“The Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari today asked the leader of elected members of the single largest party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shri Devendra Fadnavis to indicate the willingness and ability of his party to form the government in Maharashtra,” read a statement released from the Governor’s office adding, “Elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly were held on 21st October and the results were declared on 24th October. However, despite the passage of 15 days, no single party or alliance of parties has come forward to form the government.”

Given the unease, discomfort, and trading of barbs between the pre-election alliance partners the BJP and the Shiv Sena, it seems difficult for the BJP at the moment to prove majority on the floor of the house since the Shiv Sena is adamant on having an equal say in the new government and demanding that the new chief minister be from the regional party.

In the recent state polls, the BJP won 105 seats, while the Sena got 56, NCP got 54 while Congress won 44 in the 288-member Assembly.

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