135 seats for BJP out of question, but negotiation on, says Uddhav
The stalemate between the saffron alliance partners over the sharing of seats for the October 15 Maharashtra Assembly polls continued on Monday, with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray politely yet firmly rejecting the BJP’s demand for 135 seats, while maintaining that negotiations were in progress between the two parties.
Asked specifically about the Sena’s stand on the BJP’s demand for 135 seats, Uddhav said at a Press conference here: “I have conveyed it to the BJP that I cannot give them that many seats.... Talks are on. I will let you know the moment we reach an agreement.”
Uddhav said that he did not want to join issues with BJP’s Maharashtra spokesperson Madhav Bhandari, who had said on Sunday that his “party workers were not happy with the Shiv Sena and its president’s bid to demean Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and that they were pressurising the party leadership to end the seat-sharing negotiations with Sena.
“like I said, the seat sharing talks are continuing. I am hopeful the talks will fructify soon. Till we reach an agreement, I do not want to say anything negative about our alliance,” Uddhav said.
Taking a covert dig at Madhav Bhandari at the Press conference, Uddhav said: “I have nothing to comment on what respected Madhav Bhandari sahib has said.”
Reacting to the barb, State BJP spokesperson Bhandari went on the defensive after that saying: “I am too small a worker to react to Uddhav Thackeray’s comments. Any further update on Sena-BJP talks will be given by our State unit chief Devendra Fadnavis and general secretaries and observers-in-charge.”
Uddhav said that both the Sena and BJP had exchanged proposals on seat sharing and talks were on at the individual party levels. “Once both the parties decide on their respective stands, we will sit across the table and conclude our talks,” he said.
Replying to a question, Uddhav said that he had not taken or would take any such step that would result in the break-up of the saffron alliance
“If I do not want to aggravate the situation, it is because the Sena and BJP came together as an alliance on the Hindutva issue. The alliance between the two parties became a reality because of the hard work put in by leaders like Sena chief Balasaheb, Atalji and Advaniji. They were like-minded people. They came together for the specific issue of Hindutva,” he said.
“Even now my view is that since the atmosphere is conducive for us, it is not in our mutual interest to stretch things unnecessarily. In the prevailing situation, we can easily defeat the ruling Congress-NCP alliance. Hence, instead of indulging in a game of one-upmanship, let us capture power happily and provide solace to the already unhappy and distressed people of the State,” the Sena president said.
On speculation that senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy would meet him later in the evening, Uddhav said: "I do not know anything about such a meeting."
Replying to another question, Uddhav said that he was in touch with only two leaders from the BJP on the issue of seat sharing. "The BJP has specially deputed Om Prakash Mathur to look after the party's affairs in Maharashtra. I have been in touch with him. Similarly, I am in touch with State BJP president Devendra Fadnavis. As far as others are concerned, I do not know anything about their roles," he said.
Meanwhile, participating in an interaction programme hosted by a leading Marathi television channel, senior State BJP leader Vinod Tawde disclosed that Mathur and Fadnavis held the first round of talks with Uddhav four days ago and that the two parties would in all likelihood finalize the seat arrangement by September 17 or 18.
"This is not about who will get the Chief Minister's post…We are trying to see if we can take the tally of our seats beyond 200. The BJP has 19 seats which the party has lost in three consecutive elections. Similarly Shiv Sena has 59 such seats where it has failed to win. So, discussions are focused on whether we could switch and maximize our tally," Tawde revealed.
Meanwhile, informed BJP sources said that the seat sharing negotiations would take final shape after BJP's national president Amit Shah arrives on a three-day visit to Maharashtra on September 17.
Shah is scheduled to address meetings in Mumbai, Amravati, Gondia, Pune and address a rally at Chondi in Ahmednagar in western Maharashtra where Gopinath Munde's daughter Pankaja will conclude her 14-day Sangharsh Yatra. The Election Commission is scheduled to issue a poll notification on September 20 for the October 15 Assembly polls, thus beginning the process of nominations.
Earlier, at his Press conference, Uddhav justified the Sena's claim for a bigger share of seats in the saffron alliance, by saying: "Despite having 29 alliance partners, the BJP had 300-odd seats to contest in the lok Sabha polls. That's why the BJP aimed for Mission-272+ seats. Under the seat-sharing pattern we have in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has 171 seats in its quota out of the total 288 seats. So, what is wrong with the Shiv Sena going in for Mission-150IJ Did we raise any objections when the BJP undertook Mission-272+IJ Instead we helped the BJP wholeheartedly because we wanted Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister. We are happy he became the PM."
Though at one stage he did say that the Shiv Sena had an alternative before it, Uddhav did not elaborate on it when asked specifically about the "alternative".
"We have faced make or break situations like this during every election in the last 25 years. But we have never snapped our ties... That's why I said there are alternatives within the Maha-Yuti for resolving issues between us," the Sena president said, replying to another question.
Asked as to why the BJP was not ready to accept the Shiv Sena as its senior partner in Maharashtra, Uddhav said: "Nobody has told me anything about it".