Maharashtra Poll 2014: Sena’s ‘final’ offer to BJP: You take 135, we’ll keep 153, Maharashtra election news updates, Maharashtra political news, latest and political news 2014
- Details
- Category: Maharashtra Political News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 21:03
Maharashtra Poll 2014: Sena’s ‘final’ offer to BJP: You take 135, we’ll keep 153
MUMBAI: While not resuming seat-sharing talks with BJP, Matoshree on Wednesday hammered out a new formula which fixes Shiv Sena's share at 153, of the total 288 assembly seats, while BJP's share will be 135. Not a seat more, the Sena is believed to have told its two decade-long ally which has been pushing for 135 seats each, it is said.
Ignoring the Sena formula, the state BJP's core team went into a huddle late Wednesday evening at an undisclosed destination in Mumbai. Though BJP president Amit Shah was in the city to attend a non-political function at a SoBo hotel, he stayed away from the meeting, asking Union minister Nitin Gadkari to chair it.
That Shah should rope in Gadkari is crucial because the latter's anti-Sena stance is well known. "Gadkariji has been advocating that the BJP should end its alliance with Sena. And Gadkariji is not one to conceal his views," said a party functionary.
While the central BJP leadership has given a carte blanche to the state unit to decide on the alliance, the Maharashtra leaders are dithering. "Our problem is, we don't have a leader of the stature of, say, Pramod Mahajan or Gopinath Munde. The present leaders are not willing to take a decision. They don't want the blame to come on them should the party fail to garner enough seats on its own," said a state BJP leader.
As the Sena continued to act tough, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) chief Raju Shetty and Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) president Mahadeo Jankar stepped in to play cupid between the two poll partners.
Shetty called on Sena president Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree earlier in the day. He then met state BJP leaders. Shetty, accompanied by Jankar, visited Matoshree again, apparently with a word from the BJP.
The 'maha-yuti' (the grand saffron alliance) includes the SSS, the RSP, the Ramdas Athavale-led RPI and Vinayak Mete's Shiv Sangram Sanghatana. There were reports that the Maharashtra BJP had begun to tap the four allies for its Plan B, independent of the Sena.
RPI chief Athavale urged the Sena-BJP to stay together following the BJP's dismal performance in the UP and Rajasthan by-elections. "The assembly election is going to be tough now. We should close ranks and stay united," he said.
The Sena struck a conciliatory note in an attempt to assuage BJP. The Saamna editorial on Wednesday pooh-poohed the Congress claim that the BJP's debacle in the latest by-polls meant the Modi wave was on the wane.
Pointing out that the by-election results would have no impact on the Maharashtra elections, Saamna said by-elections are anchored in local politics. It had a word of praise for the Modi regime. Earlier, talking to mediapersons, Sanjay Raut, executive editor of Saamna and MP, said the alliance would emerge unscathed.
"People are eager to get rid of the Congress-NCP, and the Sena-BJP will accomplish this," Raut said. However, agencies reported that he was firm on the issue of seat-sharing. "The Sena will be contesting more seats (than BJP)... and the CM will be from the Sena only... Discussions are on... The final outcome will be out by tomorrow," he was quoted as saying.
Raut also said, "Love-jihad is an issue. But it cannot be used as an issue to do political campaigning. People did not accept BJP's love jihad campaign. They are only interested in development." Rejecting the idea of a 'Modi wave' in Maharashtra, the Sena leader said there will be only a 'Shiv Sena wave' in the state.