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Shiv Sena wants 21 ministries, BJP offers 14; pockets independents from smaller parties

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Indications from senior BJP leaders in New Delhi is that Devendra Fadnavis will be the new chief minister and his election to the post is only a matter of procedure. State-level BJP leaders were unable to confirm it as some other aspirants are still lobbying for the post.

Despite the lobbying, it was evident that Fadnavis would get the top job largely because of his clean image, even though he hasn't much of an administrative experience to talk about.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, BJP national president Amit Shah met Union minister Nitin Gadkari for a consensus on the issue of leadership in the state. Gadkari has once again made it clear that he was against going back to Maharashtra. Union home minister Rajnath Singh and general secretary J P Nadda will visit Mumbai to assess the situation, once the state legislature party meets and decides on the leadership issue.

Even as the chief minister was being finalised, the BJP has started talks with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai. The issue being discussed now is the ratio in which portfolios have to be divided. It is almost sure that there will be a BJP-led government, with Shiv Sena as the only major ally.

What are the BJP-Sena talks centred around?
It's about portfolio sharing. The Sena was seeking half the ministerial berths, recalling the formula of the earlier 1995 government, in which each party got an equal number of portfolios. But the BJP argument is that its seats have doubled now. The party is willing to give a third of the portfolios, including 10 'heavyweight' portfolios, to the Sena. Out of 43 ministries, 30 are considered major. The Sena is also seeking the deputy CM's position. This might also not be granted. Officially, the Sena position is that it's waiting for a proposal from the BJP.

How is the Sena-BJP relationship, post election?
The two were only temporary enemies. After elections, each was waiting for the other to make the first move. Most of the talks happening now are telephonic. In Delhi, at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister on Monday to the council of ministers, Shiv Sena's heavy industries minister Anant Geete was present, suggesting the ties are still firm. "In the natural course, the Shiv Sena is our natural ally," a BJP leader told dna.

What is the reaction of BJP leaders to Sena's demands?
A BJP leader claimed that the Sena demand for half the ministries, based on the 1995 formula, was not possible. "In 1995, we had 65 seats while the Sena had 73 MLAs," he pointed out. The BJP now has 122 seats plus one from ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP), while the Shiv Sena has just 63. "The state has 43 ministerial berths and we will have to allocate them in proportion to the number of MLAs each party has," the BJP leader said. So, Sena will get 14 berths.

What's the BJP stand on the NCP offer?
The BJP leader admitted that despite the NCP's offer for unconditional outside support, any truck with the NCP was likely to be counterproductive as the mandate is seen more anti-NCP than anti-Congress. "But if the Sena stretches things too far, we will be forced to reach out to the NCP for outside support," he admitted.

What is BJP's Plan B?
The BJP will form a government even if talks with the Sena fall through. In that case, they will depend on about 15 independents and the NCP, which is likely to abstain during the vote of strength. According to Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the party will approach the governor even if they don't get Sena into the alliance.

Is the BJP wooing independents?
The BJP has already secured the support of the seven independents and three legislators of Virar strongman Hitendra Thakur's Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) and was trying woo the sole legislator of Raj Thackeray's MNS.

This would not help them get past the halfway mark. Hence, it was imperative for the BJP to either enter into a post-poll alliance or seek outside support from either the Shiv Sena or the NCP.

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