Sena sticks to pitch on power-sharing deal with BJP for govt formation in Maharashtra

Despite the public posturing by Sena and BJP – both showcased the support of independent legislators – there are indications that the new government in Maharashtra will be sworn in early next week.

The Shiv Sena on Thursday upped the ante over its power-sharing deal with saffron ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the Maharashtra government. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray renewed the party’s demand for equal sharing of posts and responsibilities, including chief ministership.

Sena is driving a bargain to get at least one of the four key portfolios — home, finance, urban development department and revenue — so far refused by the BJP. (HT File)

Thackeray also expressed displeasure over CM Devendra Fadnavis’s earlier statement that the BJP never conceded equal sharing of the CM’s post with its ally. Earlier, the BJP made it clear that the CM’s post will not be shared with the Sena as part of the deal.

Despite the public posturing by the Sena and the BJP – both showcased the support of independent legislators – there are indications that the new saffron government in Maharashtra will be sworn in early next week.

It is learnt that the Sena is driving a bargain to get at least one of the four key portfolios — home, finance, urban development department and revenue — so far refused by the BJP.

Meanwhile, Sena leaders also got in touch with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar to look at possibilities of an alternative arrangement if the BJP was not conceding to Sena’s demands.

A BJP leader, however, dismissed the Sena move as pressure tactic.

The BJP, it is learnt, had offered 16 ministerial berths to the Sena, including two of these four key departments —agriculture, irrigation, public works department and housing.

In the outgoing cabinet, Sena currently has 13 ministers, the BJP has 27 ministers and the smaller allies have three ministers. The BJP is also willing to offer the deputy chief minister’s post, but the Sena leadership is yet to decide on the same. Party insiders say Thackeray is not keen to let son Aaditya join the government immediately after getting elected as a legislator. As such, he would prefer to accept the deputy CM’s post for Aaditya, only when the latter is inducted into the Fadnavis ministry. The Sena’s top brass is still deliberating on this subject.

While addressing the party’s newly elected MLAs at the Sena headquarters in Mumbai, Thackeray said that BJP should admit that there was a power-sharing formula decided before the Lok Sabha polls and keep their word.“Uddhavji said no one can keep the CM post for eternity and felt that the statement made by the CM was uncalled for, even in an informal conversation with the media. It essentially makes the party chief look power hungry, which is not the case. He said Fadnavis himself used the words that ‘posts and responsibilities’ will be shared equally. Now that power sharing has to be implemented, he told the MLAs,” said a party functionary, who was present in the meeting. He added that the talks can only proceed after the BJP admits that there was a 50:50 formula.

So far, Fadnavis and Thackeray had been talking to each other informally about a power-sharing deal, but the former’s media interaction on Tuesday irked Thackeray.

“This will get sorted out in two to three days. We are open for negotiations on everything other than CM’s post. The CM has indicated that we are willing to give up the DCM post. Our deal was nearly fixed and we were to hold a meeting today. So, this is a minor hiccup,’’ said a senior BJP leader and minister. He added that the new government could get sworn in by early next week.

The minister added that a meeting between key leaders of both parties had been planned for Thursday to fix the power-sharing formula, but got cancelled last minute.

“The new government should get sworn in by next week, if not on Sunday. Both Thackeray as well as CM have to take certain public positions, keeping their party in mind and to drive a tough bargain. This is just that. In any case, in this post-poll scenario, neither Sena nor we have any other option,’’ said another BJP leader, seen to be close to Fadnavis.

The Sena chief also told his party’s legislators that the BJP so far has not offered any proposal for government formation. The Sena’s posturing to get a better deal was diluted by senior party leader and former chief minister Manohar Joshi after he said that Thackeray and the CM are in discussion to form the government. He added that in negotiations, one political party has to sacrifice and suggested that it won’t be wrong if the Sena backed down.

Meanwhile, both parties showcased their strength, by getting letters of support from independent legislators. While Sena has support of seven independent legislators, the BJP has support of 15 legislators, including from three smaller parties like the Bahujan Vikas Agadhi, Jan Surajya, Prahar Janshakti Party. Taking into consideration the support of these legislators, Sena’s seat tally is 63 and BJP’s seat tally is 120. Fadnavis and state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil met these legislators on Thursday. All of them expressed their support to Fadnavis at this meeting. The Sena paraded all its 63 legislators to Raj Bhavan, to discuss the issues of unseasonal rains and farmers’ plight in Maharashtra.

The first contact by Sena leaders with NCP chief was made by Sena on Wednesday evening after Fadnavis told the media that the post of CM was not part of the discussions with Sena. On Thursday, Sena leader Sanjay Raut had a discussion with Pawar. Sena leaders are also in touch with the state Congress unit. Significantly, on Thursday, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan also met Pawar to discuss the issue.

The majority mark in Maharashtra’s 288-member house is 145 and even with the support of independents, BJP needs another 25 MLAs to touch this figure.