Notwithstanding its decision to stake claim to the post of leader of the Opposition (loP), the Shiv Sena on Tuesday played its cards close to its chest on the much-discussed issue of the party joining the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation, even as the BJP-led Government prepared itself to seek the vote of confidence in the State Assembly with or without the Sena’s support on Wednesday.
Though it is certain that the BJP-led Government will sail through the confidence vote, the only question that remained unanswered till late on Tuesday night was whether Wednesday’s trust vote would usher in a “minority” Government or one with a comfortable majority that would provide “stable” governance to the State.
After blowing hot and cold on the issue of the party sharing power with its erstwhile saffron ally ever since the October 15 Assembly polls threw up a fractured mandate, a still wavering Shiv Sena, which holds the key to a stable Government in Maharashtra, was hoping against hope on the eve of the confidence vote that the BJP would offer a “honourable” deal to it later in the night or early on Wednesday. What brought some comfort to the Shiv Sena camp was a statement by senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy earlier in the day that his party wanted the Sena to come along with it in the formation of the Government in the State.
Sena chief Uddhav issued a “secret” whip to party MlAs regarding Sena’s stand during the confidence motion.
Though he held a meeting with the Sena’s 63 newly-elected MlAs at the party’s Nariman Point office, party president Uddhav Thackeray refrained from spelling out his party’s stand either on the issue of joining the BJP-led Government or the party’s final decision to take part in the Speaker’s election to be held prior to the confidence vote on Wednesday.
Talking to mediapersons after the Sena legislature Party meeting, Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said: “Since party president Uddhav himself chose not to speak to the media after the meeting, I do not have much to tell you about it. All I can say is that Uddhav briefed the MlAs about the party’s agenda in the Assembly tomorrow. But I won’t reveal the details or decisions taken at the meeting.
Our MlAs will strictly follow whatever instructions Uddhav and our party’s group leader Eknath Shinde will give them ahead of the Speaker’s election, confidence vote and Governor’s address to a joint sitting of the State legislature.”
Gorhe said that the Sena leadership had issued a whip to its MlAs. However, she refused to field any other questions from journalists excepting saying: “No comments” to a question on whether power-sharing negotiations had resumed between the Sena and BJP.Gorhe also chose not to say anything on a request reportedly made to the Sena and other non-BJP parties by Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis to support the candidature of the ruling party’s nominee Haribhau Bagde, in keeping with the tradition of ensuring a unanimous election of the Speaker.
later in the night, Fadnavis, in his effort to facilitate unanimous election of BJP’s candidate in the Speaker’s election, telephoned Uddhav and requested the latter to withdraw the Sena candidate Vijay Auti from the poll fray. Fadnavis also met Congress leaders, including party’s group leader in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and requested them to withdraw their candidate Varsha Gaikwad to ensure Bagde’s unanimous election. However, both the Sena and Congress did not give any assurance to Fadnavis about withdrawing their respective candidates from the fray of the Speaker’s election.
To be held prior to the single-largest party seeking a confidence vote in the Assembly, the Speaker’s election, in which the BJP, Sena and Congress have put their respective candidates, will be crucial. It will provide a clear indication of the stand that the Sena will take in the confidence vote that the BJP will seek later in the day.
That everything was not still over on the power-sharing negotiations front between the erstwhile saffron allies became evident on Tuesday, when senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy sent out an indirect message to the Sena that his party was in favour of taking the Sena along with it in the formation of a Government in the State.
Talking to media persons in New Delhi, Rudy said: “There is no rift between us and the Sena. The only thing we would like to say is that we want the Sena to come along with us which was not possible. There have been some hiccups in that. But, all of those who want to support us in the development of Maharashtra, we will accept their support, though we would not be able to take them in the Government. And we would like the Shiv Sena to come along with us (in the Government).”
Rudy’s comments should be seen in the context of a statement made by Uddhav on Monday after his party staked a claim for the leader of Opposition’s post in the State Assembly that the Sena was still prepared to hold talks with BJP if the latter wanted to do so.
Informed sources in both the parties said that both the saffron parties were nursing hopes of a last minute power-sharing deal between them so that the BJP-led Government musters a comfortable majority in Wednesday’s trust vote.