Maha: Sena seeks written assurance from BJP over power-sharing

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday demanded a written assurance from its ally BJP for implementing “equal formula for sharing of power” before holding talks on staking the claim to form the next alliance government in Maharashtra, a party MLA said.
Newly-elected MLAs of the Sena, who met Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai, demanded that his son Aaditya Thackeray be made the chief minister in the next government.
Thackeray also said he had “other options open” but is not interested in exploring them since the BJP and the Sena are bound by the “Hindutva ideology”, the MLA told PTI.
The MLAs met Thackeray two days after the party won 56 seats in the October 21 elections. They have authorised the Sena chief to take all decisions regarding formation of the next government, he said.
The move to demand written assurance is viewed as a pressure tactic by the Sena in view of the under-whelming performance of the BJP which won 105 seats, a loss of 17 seats compared to its 2014 tally.
According to political observers, the subdued performance of the BJP has increased the bargaining power of the Sena whose tally too came down to 56 seats from the 63 in 2014.
“The Shiv Sena contested less number of seats in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
Uddhav Thackeray has said the BJP should give a written assurance about implementing the power-sharing formula arrived at in the presence of Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at my residence about equal sharing of seats and power,” Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik quoted Thackeray as saying after the meeting.
Shah had met Thackeray at the latter’s residence to seal the alliance for the Lok Sabha elections held in April- May. The MLA further said that discussions on formation of the next government can take place after the BJP produces such assurance.
“The Sena chief told us that he had other options open (apparently to form government) but he was not interested. He told us that the BJP and the Sena are bound together by the Hindutva ideology,” said Sarnaik.
He said leader of the Sena legislature party will be selected after new MLAs take oath.
The speculation about an “interesting possibility” started doing rounds on the day of the poll verdict when former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithivraj Chavan of the Congress said the party should consider all options to keep the BJP out of power. (PTI)