Maha.Political Crisis: Devendra Fadnavis meets Amit Shah in Delhi
NEW DELHI : Three days before the Maharashtra assembly’s term is to end, the BJP said its door was “open 24 hours” to discuss a formula with ally Shiv Sena. But the party also underscored that it would form a government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This, on a day Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the Chief Minister would be from his party.
“People have given us a mandate to form government. The Shiv Sena hasn’t given us a formula. Our doors are open 24 hours to discuss a formula. We will form government with everyone. Under (Devendra) Fadnavis we will form an alliance with our allies,” said Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil after a meeting at the chief minister’s home.
Maharashtra Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar, who was also at the meeting, hinted at a possible breakthrough, saying “good news” was expected any moment.
“Good news regarding government formation can come at any moment,” Mr Mungantiwar said. Soon after the results on October 24, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made it clear that his party’s tie-up with the BJP should not be taken for granted .
We are willing to consider any suggestion except for sharing the Chief Minister’s post,” Devendra Fadnavis’s close aide and troubleshooter-in-Chief Girish Mahajan told NDTV.
The BJP-Shiv Sena feud over power sharing, 13 days after they won a clear majority together in the Maharashtra election, has stalled government formation in one of India’s largest states.The BJP and the Sena had won 161 seats in the 288-member assembly, well past the halfway mark of 145.
But soon after the results on October 24, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made it clear that his party’s tie-up with the BJP should not be taken for granted. He reminded the BJP of a “50:50” deal that he said had been discussed ahead of the national election earlier this year. The deal was for rotational chief ministership, the Sena insists, which the BJP has firmly rejected.
The Sena’s attempt to leverage support from other sources, like independents, the NCP and Congress, is petering out with Congress president Sonia Gandhi reportedly ruling out any arrangement with the Sena.
The BJP, which won 105 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, says it has the support of 115 MLAs. The Shiv Sena won 56 but says it has the support of 63 along with independents. The opposition NCP, Congress and others have 102 seats.
Meanwhile, A political alternative can be worked out in Maharashtra if the Shiv Sena declared that it has snapped ties with the BJP, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday. Arvind Sawant, the only Sena minister in the Union government, should consider resigning, sources in the NCP said.
“Nothing like it if the BJP gives the Shiv Sena chief minister’s post. But if the BJP is refusing, an alternative can be given. But the Sena should declare that it is no longer associated with the BJP and NDA. Alternative can be provided after that,” NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
Sources in the Sharad Pawar-led party also said that it told the Sena leadership on Tuesday morning that Mr Sawant, the lone Sena minister in the central government, should resign before a new political alignment for government formation can be explored. “Arvind Sawant should walk out of the government. Only then NCP will open its cards,” the sources said.
The NCP will be forced to think about alternative if the BJP-Shiv Sena combine fails to form government, state NCP chief Jayant Patil had said earlier on Tuesday.(Bureau Report With Agency Inputs ).