Ten days after poll result, BJP-Sena yet to resolve power-sharing disputes

Fadnavis and Shinde are expected to meet to discuss power-sharing in the MMR bodies late on Tuesday or on Wednesday

MUMBAI: The BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are at loggerheads once again over power-sharing in key municipal corporations such as Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar. This has resulted in an impasse in local government formation and election of mayors even ten days after the results were announced.

Fadnavis and Shinde are expected to meet on Tuesday or on Wednesday (PTI)

CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Shinde were expected to meet immediately after the former returned from Davos on Saturday. Fadnavis, however, got no response from Shinde, who took off to his village in Satara. This is being seen as the Sena’s bid to put pressure on the BJP for a better power-sharing deal in the BMC and other civic bodies.

In response, the BJP resorted to similar pressurising tactics, and its leaders were made to attack Shinde and demand a sharing of the mayor’s post in Thane, where the Sena has a clear majority. In a public rally on Monday, forest minister Ganesh Naik said that the top brass of the party permitting, Shinde’s Sena could be “wiped out”. The BJP’s Thane in-charge Niranjan Davkhare said the party wanted the key positions in the Thane corporation since it had won 100% of contested seats. “Without meaningful positions in the corporation, we will not be in a position to fulfil the promises made to the people,” he said.

The BJP has also conveyed to the Sena that corporators from both parties should be registered as one group with the divisional commissioner of the Konkan division, ostensibly to help the ruling alliance grab control of key BMC committees.

“They have proposed that the group leader be from the BJP and whip from the Sena,” said a Sena leader. “Since the composition of the BMC’s key committees is determined on party strength, they feel the registration of one group will help in getting us an additional committee.” The Sena, however, is not amenable to the proposal, fearing that the BJP will wrest full control of the alliance if their parties are registered as one group.

CM Fadnavis on Tuesday said that barring the post of mayor and deputy mayor, the composition of the other committees was determined on percentile points of the strength of the parties. “Sometimes it is beneficial to register as separate groups, sometimes as a joint group,” he said. “We are contemplating whether to register separately, jointly or join hands with another smaller group. The decision will be taken after due discussion.”

Fadnavis and Shinde are expected to meet to discuss power-sharing in the MMR bodies late on Tuesday or on Wednesday. “The discussion will be jointly for the corporations where the two parties want to share power for mutual benefits,” said the BJP leader quoted above. “The BJP has made it clear to the Sena that there will be no compromise on the posts of mayor and standing committee head in the BMC. The negotiations for remaining posts in the BMC and other bodies will be done in this meeting.”

Meanwhile, the election committee of the Mumbai BJP held a meeting with Fadnavis and discussed the names of the mayor, sharing of committees with Sena and other arithmetical calculations on the basis of their strength in the BMC.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde said that his party was in favour of registering as two different groups although the final decision rested with Shinde and Fadnavis. “There is no infighting within the Mahayuti,” he claimed. “The rumors are being spread by the opposition as it has been difficult for them to keep their own flock in order.”