Even as the blow hot, blow cold talks between the Shiv Sena and the BJP inch along, the latter announced the distribution of portfolios in the Devendra Fadanvis led cabinet in what seems to be an attempt to pressurise and steal a march on its estranged ally. With "prime" portfolios like revenue, home, finance, forests and education, already distributed among BJP ministers or retained by Fadanvis, the Sena, which is insisting on the deputy chief minister's post and around 15 ministerial berths, may have little elbow space in bargaining.
The two allies, which saw their 25-year long alliance snap just before the assembly polls, had fought a bitter battle of words during the campaign. Meanwhile, a senior Shiv Sena leader said they were expecting to strike a deal soon with the BJP, which he said would join hands with its former ally rather than risk the longevity of its minority government in a fractured house. "The Shiv Sena is a reliable ally," said the leader, pointing out that in contrast, the Sharad Pawar led NCP, which has offered to abstain from the trust vote to help the government sail through, could plug whenever it wanted. "If the BJP tries to go ahead without us, the government will be shortlived as the NCP will prove to be the spoiler... and the BJP will have to dance to their tunes," he said, adding that the NCP could seek that enquiries into cases of alleged corruption by its senior leaders be watered down. The BJP's decision to get into an informal understanding with the NCP could also alienate a section of its voters.
"Talks (between the Sena and BJP) will go forward," the Shiv Sena leader said, adding that the ice had been broken after senior BJP leaders called up Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to revoke the Sena's boycott of the swearing-in of the cabinet on Friday. "We are seeking sizeable portfolios," he said, adding that they were insisting on around 15 ministerial berths and the deputy chief minister's post. However, he hastened to add that these numbers could be negotiated. "If the BJP keeps finance, we must get revenue. If they keep urban development, we must get rural development and the Sena will seek the home portfolio if the BJP keeps revenue and so on," the Sena leader said, adding that they would not settle for just a few ornamental departments.
"There has to be some arithmetic or mathematic logic in the division of portfolios," he said, indicating they were unhappy at the BJP's attempt to corner all "prominent" portfolio while leaving the "subordinate" ones to the Sena. "We are also firm on the deputy chief minister's post. In recent years, this post was created in 1995 after the Shiv Sena and the BJP first came to power. The convention, which is part of coalition politics was continued by the Congress and NCP," the Sena leader explained. Sena insiders admit that there is a vertical split in the party over joining a BJP led government. While some legislators and leaders are eager to become ministers, many activists want the party to sit in the opposition and claim the opposition space from the Congress and NCP, which are finding themselves at their lowest political ebb.
If the Sena cannot occupy the treasury benches, the country will see a first of its kind situation with two Hindutva parties at daggers drawn—one in the government and the other as the principal opposition. "There is immense pressure on Uddhavji from the rank and file. They are asking questions on how long we must wait before a final decision is taken," the Sena leader said, adding that a decision was expected soon.
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