Important question, says Uddhav on next Maharashtra CM. It’s a message to BJP
The BJP did emerge as the largest party with leads in 102 seats but its depleted strength in the 288-member assembly means that its dependence on the Shiv Sena increases. Uddhav Thackeray made his move swiftly.
Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena boss who reluctantly accepted the status of a junior partner to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the Maharashtra elections, on Thursday delivered a sharp reminder to its alliance partner that it should not take government formation for granted.
It’s a matter that is to be discussed, Thackeray told reporters in his first reaction to the assembly election results on Thursday.
Thackeray reminded the BJP about the 50:50 power sharing formula the two parties had agreed to in February this year. One part of this deal was that both parties would field the same number of candidates to the 288-member assembly. But the Sena could not get the BJP to keep its promise. The BJP fielded 164 candidates and the Sena 124.
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The BJP did emerge as the largest party with leads in 102 seats but its depleted strength in the 288-member assembly means that its dependence on the Shiv Sena has increased. Thackeray made his move swiftly.
“Who will be the chief minister is an important question,” Thackeray said.
“If you remember, a formula of 50-50 was decided before Lok Sabha elections. The seat-sharing formula was 144:144. BJP’s Chandrakant Patil asked (Sena) to understand their position. I accepted fewer seats but now, if they are going to face hurdles then I cannot understand them because I have to take my party ahead,” Thackeray said.
Thackeray, who had stopped speaking about the 50-50 formula after his party was forced to accept the new seat-sharing deal by the BJP, spoke about the February arrangement again at his media conference. And then, again.
He declined to spell out the contours of the arrangement, but signalled that he intended to get his party the best possible deal in government formation talks.
“I am not in a hurry to form the government,” he stressed.
“Now the results are out. Soon, we will sit with BJP leaders from Delhi; Amit Bhai {BJP president Amit Shah} will come. Based on the formula that was decided, we will go before the people in a transparent manner,” he said and set the ground rules for the discussions: “What has been agreed must be adhered to”.
The Sena chief had earlier this month told HT that the Sena had “compromised in the alliance” for Maharashtra.
“We are contesting on a lesser number of seats because [Maharashtra CM Devendra] Fadnavis and [state BJP chief] Chandrakant Patil requested me to understand their problem, which I considered,” Thackeray said in an interview.
BJP leaders suggest that the chief minister’s post wasn’t up for discussion and the Sena chief’s stress on the February formula was aimed at securing the deputy chief minister’s post for the party. Thackeray didn’t indicate who the Shiv Sena nominee for the chief minister or the deputy CM would be. That, he said, is a matter to be decided by the newly-elected lawmakers.
