BJP-Shiv Sena power tussle in Maharashtra: Shiv Sena on Thursday hardened its stand on its demand for the rotational chief minister and said that it won’t compromise on 50-50 formula for the government formation in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that his party won’t go back on its demand as it was promised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “We will not step back from our stand. If anyone has gone back on their promise, it is our ally (BJP). We will continue to move forward with our demand,” Raut said.
Raut’s statement comes in stark contrast to his earlier stance where he said admitted that being part of a BJP-led alliance was important for the Shiv Sena. The remark signaled a softening of stance by the Shiv Sena in its battle for a larger role in the new government.
Shiv Sena has been demanding the chief minister’s post for 2.5 years for its party leader Aaditya Thackeray and is not ready to settle for anything less. The BJP, on the other hand, is ready to offer deputy chief minister post with a significant number of ministerial berths but wants its own man at the helm. The Sena claims that it was BJP chief Amit Shah who had agreed to share power in the state and the 2.5-year formula was discussed between Shah and Uddhav Thackeray.
While Amit Shah hasn’t made a statement yet, Devendra Fadnavis has denied the agreement saying the formula was proposed by Sena he wasn’t aware if it was accepted by the BJP chief.
Later, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said that Amit Shah will speak to Uddhav Thackeray and bring clarity on what exactly was discussed before stitching the alliance. Both the parties had come together ahead of Lok Sabha elections and contested the general and assembly polls together. It’s been over a week since the results were announced but both the parties are yet to begin the talks on government formation.
Meanwhile, a meeting of Shiv Sena leaders is currently underway in Mumbai. The meeting is being chaired by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.