What went behind Shiv Sena-BJP’s alliance pact for elections

Results of Sena’s survey, fear of defections and limited time for LS polls led to decision, say insiders

Did the realisation that things are changing on ground level compel the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena to bury their hatchet and finalise the poll pact?

A day after the two parties announced their electoral alliance, several leaders in both the camps were still surprised over the speed at which the pact was sealed (Vijayanand Gupta/HT Photo)

A day after the two parties announced their electoral alliance, several leaders in both the camps were still surprised over the speed at which the pact was sealed. Key functionaries from both the sides HT spoke to said certain factors forced Thackeray and Fadnavis to fast-track the decision.

First, the Sena leadership was alarmed at the results of the surveys done to check how many Assembly seats the party could win if it went solo. “The outcome was below expectation. The surveys indicated the party would find it difficult to hold on to the current tally of 63 in the Assembly,” said a senior Sena leader in the know of the things.

Further, almost all Members of Parliament of the party and a majority of legislators were in favour of an alliance with the BJP and told the same to the party leadership. “Our elected representatives said the alliance would benefit us,” he said.

Second, the top brass of both the parties was wary of some legislators/leaders crossing over to the Congress-NCP ahead of the elections. “More than a dozen legislators of the BJP and a couple of the Sena are turncoats who had quit the Congress or NCP ahead of the 2014 elections. Several of them are in touch with their old parties, who are trying to pull them back. Had a few of them crossed over, it would have led to the impression that we were losing. So our leaders were keen to announce a tie-up as early as possible. It will now make them rethink their plans, as the alliance makes our position strong,” said a key Sena functionary.

So far, former MP Nana Patole and legislator Ashish Deshmukh have returned to the Congress. In 2014, the BJP had given Assembly tickets to as many as 58 candidates who had come from other parties.

The third factor was the limited time available. Both the sides wanted a decision early to begin the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. “Last month, we conveyed to Uddhavji that we should reach a decision as early as possible. Even if we decide to go solo, an early decision would give enough time to both the parties to prepare for polls,” said a senior BJP leader.