A major power tussle broke out between the ruling saffron alliance partners within hours of their retaining power in Maharashtra on Thursday evening after the Shiv Sena staked claim to the Chief Minister’s post under the guise of 50:50 power-sharing formula “agreed upon” between it and the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
In swift developments that followed, the Opposition Congress and NCP added fuel to the fire. While former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress said he anticipated some “interesting possibilities” on the BJP-Sena front in the coming 15 days, senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said, “Anything can happen in politics. The Shiv Sena can get the Chief Minister’s post.”
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray set the ball rolling by reiterating the 50:50 formula of seat and power-sharing decided between the Sena and the BJP at a meeting he held with BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in February this year (ahead of the Lok Sabha polls) as the basis for power-sharing in the new Government.
Responding to a query as to which of the two saffron alliance partners would get the Chief Minister’s post, Uddhav said at a news conference he addressed at his “Matoshree” residence, “Who will become the Chief Minister is an important question. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, we (Sena and BJP) had arrived at 50:50 seat and power sharing formula. At the time of seat-sharing, BJP Minister Chandrakant Patil had told us that his party had some difficulties. We understood them then.”
“We cannot understand the difficulties of everyone. After all I have to run my party and widen its base. Now let us discuss everything in a transparent manner with Delhi leaders. Let Amit Shah come from Delhi. Let’s discuss the issues with him,” Uddhav said, as he insisted on the BJP implementing the 50:50 formula of power sharing in the new Government.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis — who addressed the media minutes after Uddhav did — said that he had seen and heard what the Sena president had said. He sought to buy time by saying, “What Uddhavji has said is correct. We had decided on the formula. We would go by that...there is no ambiguity”. Fadnavis, however, chose not to elaborate on the matter.
On his part, Prithviraj Chavan set the cat among the pigeons by saying, “The BJP has got lesser number of seats than it had expected. They were saying all things that they would get more than 220/250 seats, etc. They (BJP leaders) were even talking about forming the Government on their own strength. If they want to form a Government now, they will have to give the Shiv Sena its pound of flesh. After the last elections, the NCP had offered unconditional support from the outside. As result, the Shiv Sena had no bargaining power at that time. That won’t happen now.”
“I do not rule out some interesting possibilities. Wait for 15 days. You will get now,” he said.
“We are talking to our allies. We know what are the possibilities before us. We all will sit across whether to proceed in the matter or not,” Chavan said, indirectly hinting at the exploring the possibility of extending support to the Shiv Sena from outside.
Earlier, when he was asked about the Opposition combine supporting the Shiv Sena, NCP president Sharad Pawar said, “People have asked us to sit in the Opposition. The thought of trying to get into power doesn’t even cross our minds. We will work to expand our base”.
To another query, Pawar said, “We will not go with Shiv Sena. NCP-Congress and other allies will decide together, the future course of action.”
Given the nature of power struggle between the BJP and Shiv Sena, it will take some more days before the leaders of the two parties sit across and decide on the power-sharing arrangement between them.
While the BJP has gone to town saying that Fadnavis would be the next Chief Minister of the State, Fadnavis himself has repeatedly said that he would come back as the Chief Minister.
Right from the day one of this election, the Shiv Sena has been projecting Aditya Thackeray as its chief ministerial candidate. Sena leaders, including Uddhav, have repeatedly said that power sharing arrangement would be decided as per the formula arrived at a joint meeting held at Matroshri between the Sena president, Amit Shah and Fadnavis on February 18 this year when the two parties formalised the seat-sharing pact for the Lok Sabha polls.
Later on June 2, senior BJP leader and now State party president Chandrakant Patil had sought clarity to the seat-sharing deal by saying that the BJP and Shiv Sena would contest 135 seats each in the State Assembly polls, setting aside the remaining 18 seats for their allies
However, upon a request by the BJP leadership, the Sena agreed to contest less number of seats (124) in the State Assembly polls as against 164 seats contests. Now that the elections are over, the Sena is harping on the 50:50 power sharing arrangement.
The Chief Minister’s post has been a bone of contention between the BJP and the Sena. Fadnavis has made it clear to the Sena that the top post, which he occupies, would remain with the BJP, but has offered to give the Deputy Chief Minister’s post to the Shiv Sena (read Aditya Thackeray). Such is the BJP’s stand that it does not want to share the Chief Minister’s post even on rotational basis. The rotational basis proposed by the Shiv Sena is the post will remain with one party for the first two and a half years, while it will be with another party for the next two and a half years.
Sources in the Shiv Sena that Uddhav would root for rotational chief ministership when he meets Amit Shah and Fadnavis to discuss the power sharing arrangement in the new Government in Maharashtra. The talks may take place only after Diwali.