The BJP and its coalition partner at the Centre, the Shiv Sena, have fallen out over seat-sharing in the coming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The Sena demands 150 seats and has rejected the BJP’s demand to contest 135 seats. The BJP of course rules supreme at the Centre with a massive majority. But it has lost Gopinath Munde recently. He was the obvious candidate for the office of Chief Minister in Maharashtra. The situation has changed since the days when Bal Thackeray was returned unopposed from Matoshree. He was looked up to as the elder statesman of the Hindutva partnership. Electoral partners still visit Matoshree as a prestige issue. However, BJP President Amit Shah did not make a beeline for the place when he went to Mumbai. He visited the place only after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray personally invited him.
Bal Thackeray always looked upon Narendra Modi as a rival to the Hindutva crown. Both Pramod Mahjan and Bal Thackeray, architects of the BJP-Sena alliance, have passed away. The picture is different today. After the Parliamentary elections, the Sena was miffed at having been given only one berth in the Union Cabinet. Munde’s death has been a blow to the BJP. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now riding the wave of popularity. Uddhav Thackeray has none of the charisma enjoyed by Bal Thackeray or his cousin, Raj Thackeray. The decisive issue in the coming elections will be the policy on the performance of the local government. Everyone is wondering about who will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray has thrown his hat in the ring for the hot seat.