Sena, BJP differ on formula for CM's post?

Mumbai: Though the BJP and the Shiv Sena have inked a seat-sharing pact for upcoming polls, top leaders of both the parties seem to be speaking in different voices over which party will get the post of chief minister after the Maharashtra assembly elections, due later this year.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party has been vocal about its demand for the post of chief minister post the elections.

As per the tie-up announced on Monday for elections to Lok Sabha and state assembly, the BJP will contest 25 seats and Sena 23 of total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

For assembly polls, the two parties will contest an equal number of seats after accommodating the allies.

The BJP and the Sena had contested the 2014 assembly elections separately. Of total 288 seats, the BJP had won 122 seats and the Sena 63.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday night told select party workers at his residence here that he had rejected the poll formula proposing that the party winning maximum number of seats in assembly elections would get the post of chief minister.

Thackeray said he had demanded that both the parties get equal number of posts.

“This formula was used by both parties (Sena and BJP) in the last 25 years. I have rejected it. What I have demanded is that both the parties get to share all posts equally,” Thackeray told the party workers.

“The BJP has agreed to this, hence I have decided to forge an alliance,” he said.

On the contrary, state Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said the BJP’s stand is that the party winning more number of seats would get the post of chief minister even though “we (Sena and BJP) will contest on equal number of seats in assembly polls”.

Sources in the BJP, however, said the party has achieved its objective to secure a section of votes in Lok Sabha polls by tying up with Sena.

According to sources, the Sena’s main focus during negotiations with BJP mainly remained on the assembly elections.