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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  BJP-Shiv Sena impasse over seat-sharing continues in Maharashtra
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BJP-Shiv Sena impasse over seat-sharing continues in Maharashtra

Shiv Sena offers BJP 119 seats, same as in 2009 elections; NCP says no fresh proposal from ally Congress

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said he won’t be able to reduce the number of seats further and play with the political future of his party activists. Photo: PTIPremium
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said he won’t be able to reduce the number of seats further and play with the political future of his party activists. Photo: PTI

Mumbai: Seat-sharing talks between the two major political alliances in Maharashtra—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena on the one hand and the ruling Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on the other—remained deadlocked on Sunday ahead of Assembly elections due on 15 October.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray gave a final offer to the BJP in a bid to end the stalemate. According to the new proposal, the Shiv Sena will contest 151 seats, four fewer than what it had demanded earlier for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. It offered the BJP 119 seats, the same as in the 2009 state elections and 18 seats to smaller allies. The Shiv Sena had contested 169 seats in 2009.

The BJP wanted to contest an equal number of seats as the Shiv Sena after leaving 18 seats to smaller parties which would bring the number of Shiv Sena and BJP contestants to 135 each. On Sunday the BJP offered to contest 130, but Thackeray ruled out further negotiations, saying: “Take it or leave it".

The leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra assembly and senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse said in Delhi, “We are not happy with Sena’s proposal and if Sena wants to keep alliance intact, it should not send proposals through television but come forward for direct negotiations."

After BJP leaders met in Delhi on Sunday to consider the proposal, a member of the party’s core group in Maharashtra, who did not want to be named said, “No decision could be made during party’s parliamentary board about the fate of alliance with Shiv Sena and parliamentary board is likely to meet once again Monday."

“The state core group told the parliamentary board that there is no need to bow before Shiv Sena’s humiliating offer and we are confident of contesting the election on our own and winning it," the BJP leader added.

In a meeting of the BJP’s central election committee which took place after the parliamentary board meeting, the party discussed probable candidates for 170 seats, said another member of the core group who too did not wish to be named.

Meanwhile, talks between the ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) too were deadlocked. State NCP president Sunil Tatkare said, “After we rejected Congress’s proposal of 124 seats to NCP, there has been no fresh proposal but we are firm on our stand of contesting 144 or equal number of seats."

In 2009, the Congress contested 174 seats and the NCP 114. However having emerged as the bigger party in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha election, the NCP is insisting on contesting an equal number of seats. Out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state the Congress won two and the NCP four.

Tatkare said, “NCP’s core committee will meet in Mumbai on Monday to decide upon seat sharing talks between the two parties."

Rejecting the NCP’s ultimatum that the Congress should reconsider its offer of 124 seats by Sunday evening, state Congress president Manikrao Thakare said, “No other party can give us particular deadline. The talks are not progressing because NCP is adamant on its position."

With less than a week left for the nomination process to be completed for the Maharashtra elections, the tussle between the BJP and the Shiv Sena is leading to fears that the 25-year-old political alliance may collapse.

Even as senior leaders of Maharashtra were called to Delhi to discuss the situation, the BJP leadership asked union home minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to talk to Thackeray to explore the possibility of a last minute compromise.

“If the senior leaders of both parties continue talking then there can be compromise. A compromise is difficult. BJP may agree to contest 125 seats while Shiv Sena can contest 145 seats. But the formula is being worked," said a senior BJP leader based in Maharashtra.

BJP leaders from Maharashtra also met party president Amit Shah on Sunday.

If the BJP-Sena alliance indeed falls apart, it will turn the focus on the role of the smaller parties such as the Republican Party of India (Ramdas Athavale faction), or RPI, the Swabhimani Party, the Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) and the Shivsangram Party. For now these parties are keeping both BJP and Sena guessing.

Swabhimani Party president and Lok Sabha member Raju Shetti said, “My party and Mahdeo Jankar’s party (RSP) will go with any party which will assure us that, after elections there will be no post-poll pact with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) even if it means sitting in the opposition. As our activists are engaged in pitched battle with NCP on every day basis."

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Published: 21 Sep 2014, 02:08 PM IST
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