Reaches out to Independents, MlAs from smaller parties
Amid an “outside support” offer by the NCP and continued grandstanding by the Shiv Sena over a post-poll arrangement with it, the BJP on Monday began to reach out to Independents and MlAs from smaller parties in an effort to form the next Government without the support of the two major parties.
Though it is arithmetically impossible for it to touch or cross the simple majority mark of 145 seats in the 288-member Assembly without the support of either the NCP or the Shiv Sena, the BJP — with a final seat tally of 123 seats (which includes one seat won by its ally) — set into motion the process of roping in as many Independent MlAs and ones belonging to smaller parties as possible to stake a claim to forming the next Government in the State.
As the BJP, being the single-largest party in the Assembly, waited for an invitation from Governor Vidyasagar Rao to make a bid to form the next Government in the State, senior State leader Kirit Somaiya said that the BJP was exploring the possibility of forming the next Government without the support of either the NCP or the Shiv Sena.
“We have a strength of 123 MlAs of our own. We are confident of enlisting the support of at least a dozen MlAs — Independents and those belonging to smaller parties, so as to take our total tally up to 135 MlAs... No one wants a fresh election at this stage. We are exploring the possibility of forming the next Government without the support of the Congress, the NCP or the Shiv Sena.
If we cannot, we are confident of getting support from all sides for our positive agenda of governance,” Somaiya disclosed, while talking to a leading Marathi television channel. Given that Somaiya refrained from spelling out how the BJP would muster the magic number of 145 MlAs required for a majority in the 288-member House, he indirectly presented a fait accompli to the Shiv Sena to fall in line and support the next BJP-led Government in the State.
There are 16 MlAs, both Independents and those belonging to the smaller parties, outside the ambit of the major non-BJP political parties like the Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena, MNS and smaller parties like the CPI(M) and All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) - whom the BJP can rope in. If the party manages to rope in all these 16 “available” MlAs and the lone MNS MlA, if he is ready to support it, the BJP will have ended up with a final tally of 140, five short of a simple majority.
On a day when NCP chief Sharad Pawar justified his party’s decision to extend unsolicited “outside support” to the BJP on the ground that it was the “best alternative” to ensure a “stable” Government, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray reportedly told his party’s newly-elected MlAs that his party would consider joining the new Government if he received a “respectable” offer from the BJP.
Talking to reporters after an informal meeting of the Sena’s newly-elected MlAs, the party’s spokesperson Sanjay Raut said: “At today’s meeting, all the newly-elected Sena MlAs have authorised Uddhav to nominate the new legislative party leader.”
On whether the Sena had taken any decision on extending its support to the BJP, Raut said: “Today’s meeting was not about our extending support to the BJP. Therefore, we haven’t discussed BJP at all. A final decision will be taken by Uddhav and conveyed to the media in due course.”
Queried specifically if the Sena would support the BJP in forming the next Government in the State, Raut said: “I do not want to comment on this because talks are underway on this issue. Uddhav will take a final decision in Maharashtra’s interest.”
Meanwhile, the newly-elected BJP MlAs met informally at the State party headquarters. Party sources said ahead of its likely post-poll arrangement talks with the Shiv Sena, the BJP would hold its legislature party meeting either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
In Delhi, BJP leaders indicated that the process of discussing “support” from any quarter will take place after electing their legislature party leader. He might be authorized to lead the negotiations with the Shiv Sena or any other political party to add up the majority number in the Assembly.
According to sources, once the BJP MlAs elect their leader, the negotiations would be handled at the State level. “Uddhav Thackeray is not Balasaheb and the BJP has already proved that Sena is a junior partner in the elections,” they said.
BJP president Amit Shah on Monday held a 45-minute talk with former party president Nitin Gadkari at the latter’s residence here to expedite the swearing-in of the BJP-led Government in Maharashtra.
Former BJP president Rajnath Singh and BJP general secretary JP Nadda are expected to fly to Mumbai as party observers to see the Maharashtra BJP MlAs elect their leader and State chief ministerial nominee. The duo had “delayed” their departure as apparently all elected MlAs of the party have not been able to make it to Mumbai for the scheduled meeting.