Maha allies hiss and break up
26 Sept 2014 5:32 AM IST
The first day of the Navratra festival proved to be the day of realignment as hours after BJP-Shiv Sena formally decided to end their 25-year-old alliance, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) too followed suit, ending 15 years of coalition. Assembly polls in Maharashtra are scheduled for 15 October.
After several rounds of talks over the last few days, Maharashtra BJP chief Devendra Fadnavis, addressing media persons after a meeting of the state party’s core committee, said, ‘We have conveyed our decision to snap ties to Shiv Sena. The decision was taken with a heavy heart.’ He said, ‘BJP will go to polls with smaller allies.
We had worked out a seat-sharing arrangement with Mahadeo Jankar’s Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and Raju Shetty’s Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. Our talks with Vinayak Mete of Shiv Sangram are in final stages and we will also speak to RPI’s Ramdas Athawale.’ Senior state BJP leaders expressed their sorrow over failing to end the impasse over seat sharing arrangement and blamed Shiv Sena’s ‘inflexibility’ for the split.
Though the official announcement of their split was made but party insiders claimed that there are possibilities of a post-poll alliance with its estranged ally. The indications for this came when Shiv Sena minister at the Centre Anant Geete scotched rumours of his resignation from Narendra Modi cabinet.
State BJP leaders claimed that they would not criticise Shiv Sena during the campaign and remain friends forever despite severance of ties. ‘Our aim is to prevent the corrupt Congress-NCP government from coming to power. We will not criticise Shiv Sena during the campaign. We don’t want any bitterness with our ally of 25 years,’ Eknath Khadse, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, said.
Differences cropped up in the coalition over seat-sharing after Shiv Sena stuck to its demand to fight in 151 seats and the BJP in 135 of the 288 total assembly seats in the state. Later, BJP climbed down to 135 seats but Shiv Sena refused any further concessions saying that it had already climbed down 18 seats from the 169 it contested in 2009. BJP in 2009 had contested 119 seats only.
Few hours after the Sena-BJP split, NCP leader Praful Patel announced that his party will contest the 15 October elections on its own. Congress, earlier in the day, had gone ahead and announced its first list of candidates for the polls. All senior NCP leaders, including party chief Sharad Pawar, Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, state party chief Sunil Tatkare, senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Praful Patel met at Ajit Pawar’s official residence – Deogiri - to decide the next move.
After the meeting, Patel announced the split. Meanwhile, a Congress leader said the party had not declared candidates in 114 constituencies which were held by NCP in 2009. ‘Talks are not possible with NCP with conditions like equal seats and chief minister’s post. We have to start campaigning,’ Congress sources said.
There had been no talks between the leaders of the two parties since their meeting on Wednesday morning where Congress had offered 124 seats to NCP, 10 more than it had contested in the last assembly elections. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had left for Karad on Wednesday where he is expected to file his nomination papers on Friday.
After several rounds of talks over the last few days, Maharashtra BJP chief Devendra Fadnavis, addressing media persons after a meeting of the state party’s core committee, said, ‘We have conveyed our decision to snap ties to Shiv Sena. The decision was taken with a heavy heart.’ He said, ‘BJP will go to polls with smaller allies.
We had worked out a seat-sharing arrangement with Mahadeo Jankar’s Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and Raju Shetty’s Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. Our talks with Vinayak Mete of Shiv Sangram are in final stages and we will also speak to RPI’s Ramdas Athawale.’ Senior state BJP leaders expressed their sorrow over failing to end the impasse over seat sharing arrangement and blamed Shiv Sena’s ‘inflexibility’ for the split.
Though the official announcement of their split was made but party insiders claimed that there are possibilities of a post-poll alliance with its estranged ally. The indications for this came when Shiv Sena minister at the Centre Anant Geete scotched rumours of his resignation from Narendra Modi cabinet.
State BJP leaders claimed that they would not criticise Shiv Sena during the campaign and remain friends forever despite severance of ties. ‘Our aim is to prevent the corrupt Congress-NCP government from coming to power. We will not criticise Shiv Sena during the campaign. We don’t want any bitterness with our ally of 25 years,’ Eknath Khadse, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, said.
Differences cropped up in the coalition over seat-sharing after Shiv Sena stuck to its demand to fight in 151 seats and the BJP in 135 of the 288 total assembly seats in the state. Later, BJP climbed down to 135 seats but Shiv Sena refused any further concessions saying that it had already climbed down 18 seats from the 169 it contested in 2009. BJP in 2009 had contested 119 seats only.
Few hours after the Sena-BJP split, NCP leader Praful Patel announced that his party will contest the 15 October elections on its own. Congress, earlier in the day, had gone ahead and announced its first list of candidates for the polls. All senior NCP leaders, including party chief Sharad Pawar, Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, state party chief Sunil Tatkare, senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Praful Patel met at Ajit Pawar’s official residence – Deogiri - to decide the next move.
After the meeting, Patel announced the split. Meanwhile, a Congress leader said the party had not declared candidates in 114 constituencies which were held by NCP in 2009. ‘Talks are not possible with NCP with conditions like equal seats and chief minister’s post. We have to start campaigning,’ Congress sources said.
There had been no talks between the leaders of the two parties since their meeting on Wednesday morning where Congress had offered 124 seats to NCP, 10 more than it had contested in the last assembly elections. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had left for Karad on Wednesday where he is expected to file his nomination papers on Friday.
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