Mumbai: After an acrimonious split, BJP and Shive Sena are together again with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announcing that Sena will be joining his government on Friday “in keeping with the mandate” and will get 12 ministerial berths but there will be no Deputy CM.
However, Fadnavis did not reveal the portfolios to be given to Sena, which was understood to be eyeing the key Home department, held by the Chief Minister, besi-des demanding the Deputy Chief Minister’s post.
“It is the desire of the people of Maharashtra that BJP and Shiv Sena should be part of the government,” the Chief Minister told reporters at a joint press conference with senior Sena leaders, 70 days after the two parties had snapped ties ending their 25-year-old alliance ahead of the assembly elections. 12 ministers from Sena, including five of cabinet rank will be inducted, he said, ruling out having a deputy chief minister’s post.
For now, 10 Sena ministers will take oath. Also about 8 to 10 BJP ministers will also take oath tomorrow, Fadnavis said.
The announcement came after days of parleys between the two parties which saw hard-bargaining for portfolios. The swearing in will take place at 4 PM at the Vidhan Bhawan premi-ses. At present the Fadnavis Ministry’s strength is 10, including the Chief Minis-ter. Eight of them are of Cabinet rank.
“People voted against Congress and NCP. People wanted BJP and Sena to form government in Maharashtra,” Fadnavis said. “We could not take decisions on some issues. So BJP formed government. Workers of BJP and Sena wanted both the parties to be in government. Even legislators of both the parties wanted us to be in government together,” he said. “I spoke to Uddhavji that the Sena should join the government and he respon-ded positively. Union minister Dharmendra Prad-han held talks with him and later on all of us worked out the modalities,” he said.
“We will form a coordination committee and will jointly contest Zilla Parishad and Municipal polls,” he said.
“We took a stance to be in the government together keeping in view the mandate people have given. We respect the mandate. We were together for 25 years and we will continue to be together in this government and even later,” Fadnavis said. “For 25 years we have resolved issues through talks and we will do so even now,” Fadnavis said, when asked about the contra-dictory views of the two par-ties on some issues.(PTI)
