For the first time in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena the principal opposition party in the legislative assembly will cross over to the treasury benches in a post-poll alliance with the BJP.
Though delayed, such an alliance was always on the cards since it was impractical for the BJP to run a government with outside support from the NCP. The on-off talks between Sena and the BJP is finally on the verge of bearing fruit.
The Sena is pushing for the post of deputy chief minister which will not be granted so it will not be a totally happy Sena that will join the government. It will grumble and sulk a bit but party legislators felt that sitting in the opposition after an anti-Congress mandate was not the right strategy in the long run.
Allying was the only practical option
For Sena the prospect of sitting in the opposition for another long spell was quite scary. Also there was always the possibility of some MLAs breaking away, lured by the possibility of being made ministers.
For the BJP, dependence on the NCP was not a practical option considering that Sharad Pawar's political philosophy was inspired by the weather cock. BJP leaders admit that an alternate plan of splitting legislators from other parties including the Shiv Sena to shore up numbers was always fraught with risks. Ultimately it would have tainted the party's public image as well. There was also the real possibility of the government losing out in the House during division if Sena voted against it. Though the BJP is the single largest party in Maharashtra with 121 seats, its needs the support of the Sena (63) or the NCP (41) to sail past the halfway mark in the 287-member House (1 BJP MLA passed away)
What is on offer for the Sena?
The Sena is likely to get industries, health, forests, environment, tourism, labour, irrigation, energy, water supply, PWD and MSRDC. Senior BJP leaders said the Sena, was likely to get five cabinet and seven minister of state berths. Sena leaders said the formula was yet to be decided as they were bargaining hard for the deputy chief minister's post and the powerful home portfolio, which the BJP is reluctant to part with. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met party chief Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday to brief him about the negotiations.
What is the BJP's long term strategy?
"We are on the verge of a breakthrough," a senior BJP minister told dna. He added that striking a deal with the Shiv Sena, with whom the BJP was in an alliance for 25 years, would be better than taking "outside, unconditional support" from the NCP. The minister also said Sena was not likely to get the deputy chief minister's post or the home portfolio.
Will Sena settle for less?
A senior Shiv Sena leader said that they had not relinquished their claim and party president Uddhav Thackeray was negotiating directly with the BJP leadership for plum berths. "Uddhavji will take the final call on the alliance," the Sena leader said, adding they were not entirely happy with what was being offered by the BJP. After Fadnavis issued conciliatory statements about the two parties coming closer, Uddhav has gagged party leaders from speaking out against the BJP after Sena leader Ramdas Kadam was involved in a spat with revenue minister Eknath Khadse.
Who are the likely Sena ministers?
With the Shiv Sena in striking distance of power, the names of leader of the opposition Eknath Shinde, Kadam, senior leaders Diwakar Raote and Subhash Desai, who faced a shock defeat by the BJP's minister of state Vidya Thakur from his stronghold of Goregaon, legislators Vijay Shivtare, Gulabrao Patil, Ravindra Waikar, Sunil Prabhu and Vaibhav Naik (who defeated then industries minister Narayan Rane from Kudal) and MLC Neelam Gorhe lead the race for ministerial berths.
"We were caught between the devil and the deep sea. We chose to opt for the better option of being in power, as the Shiv Sena cannot function too effectively as an opposition party now," said a Sena leader. The Sena and BJP were allies for 25 years after they joined hands in 1989 after an attempt in 1984 which failed at the hustings. The Sena is the BJP's oldest ally and the second largest in the NDA after the BJP with 18 MPs.
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