A day before the Assembly poll results, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut reminded its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that it cannot rule the state without the Shiv Sena.
The Rajya Sabha MP said the Sena will be in power with the BJP in Maharashtra, even if the national party crosses the simple majority mark on its own.
The statement came on the eve of counting of votes on Thursday. According to the seat-sharing formula, the Sena got 124 seats to contest, while the BJP fielded candidates on 164 of the 288 seats in the Assembly. The Sena also put up candidates against the BJP on two seats – Kankavli and Maan – despite the alliance. Several exit poll surveys have indicated a comfortable win for the saffron alliance in the state.
Raut reiterated that equal sharing of power and responsibilities was decided by BJP national president Amit Shah and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. “The BJP cannot rule without the Shiv Sena. Even if the BJP somehow secures 180 seats from the 164 it is contesting, we will still be in the alliance and in power,” Raut said, in a sarcastic remark.
The Sena, which got a raw deal in the seat-sharing with the BJP, has started posturing to get a better bargain. Some exit polls have indicated the BJP could end up close to the half-way mark of 144. In that scenario, the Sena would lose its bargaining power and could play a secondary role in the next government. “Most exit polls have indicated that the [Shiv Sena-BJP] alliance will win comfortably. The alliance will cross 220-230… The Shiv Sena has worked to get 100 seats this time,” Raut claimed.
{{/usCountry}}The Sena, which got a raw deal in the seat-sharing with the BJP, has started posturing to get a better bargain. Some exit polls have indicated the BJP could end up close to the half-way mark of 144. In that scenario, the Sena would lose its bargaining power and could play a secondary role in the next government. “Most exit polls have indicated that the [Shiv Sena-BJP] alliance will win comfortably. The alliance will cross 220-230… The Shiv Sena has worked to get 100 seats this time,” Raut claimed.
{{/usCountry}}The two parties contested the polls independently in 2014 and came together after the results. The BJP, with 122 legislators, played a bigger role in the government, and the two parties shared an uneasy relationship.
The Sena hopes to secure the post of deputy chief minister, while the BJP has been denying any such understanding. It is also hoping to get better portfolios than the previous time.
Union minister and Sena spokesperson Arvind Sawant said, “We contested in an alliance and will continue to be together. Why worry if they [BJP] win more seats? In the Lok Sabha too, they crossed halfway mark, but we are still together, aren’t we?”
The Sena, which won 18 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, secured only one ministerial berth in the Union government.
BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “The mega alliance of the BJP-Sena and other parties will win over 220 seats. The BJP could get close to the halfway mark too. Like our alliance has remained intact at the Centre, even after getting over 300 seats, in the state too, we will remain in alliance [with the Sena].”