Why BJP not staking claim to form Maha government, asks Sena

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Saturday needled its warring ally BJP which has failed to stake claim to form a government in Maharashtra, apparently due to lack of numbers, even a fortnight after the assembly poll verdict.

The Sena and the BJP are locked in a bitter dispute over sharing of chief ministership in new government.

The dispute took turn for worse on Friday with caretaker chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray criticising each other of the issue of rotational chief ministership.

“In Goa and Manipur, the BJP had shoved away single largest parties and formed governments. It is an open secret that this was done with the active cooperation of governors. But in Maharashtra, despite being the single largest party, the BJP is not staking a claim,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece “Saamana”.

The edit once again appealed for formation of a government at the earliest.

Term of the current Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra ends on November 9.

“The state governor can invite the BJP, by virtue of it being the single largest party, to form a government, and the BJP shouldn’t lose such opportunity,” it said.

“Saamana” also criticised the BJP for claiming that it will form a coalition government with the Sena.

“….What about the decisions taken regarding sharing of power when the alliance was formalised? The BJP continues to say no assurances were given over sharing of power,” the Sena said.

The Sena once again targetted the BJP for “not honouring” the “commitment” over sharing of the chief minister’s post and ministerial portfolios.

“Without Shiv Sena there will be no government in state, but you (BJP) refuse to honour the commitments. What kind of politics is this. We don’t want to get involved in such kind of muddy politics,” it said.

Fadnavis on Friday resigned as chief minister blaming the Sena for rebuffing all attempts to form alliance government.

He had rejected the Sena’s claims that the BJP had agreed to share the chief minister’s post with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party in the event of both the parties coming to power again.

However, Thackeray countered Fadnavis, saying such an arrangement was agreed by BJP chief Amit Shah ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Sena (56) and the BJP (105) together won 161 seats in recent assembly polls in the 288-member House which is way above the halfway mark.