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Unease in Sena ranks over plan of withdrawal from Maha govt

But, they added that much hinged on the results of the assembly elections in Gujarat, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state

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Uddhav Thackeray
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Despite Shiv Sena's attempts to rock BJP's boat in Maharashtra, party insiders admit to unease in the ranks over the course of action. While a large number of Shiv Sainiks want the party to quit the government, a section of legislators wants to cling on to power.

On Tuesday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had dropped a bombshell by claiming that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had met him last week. Pawar had quipped that the Sena was "not satisfied" in the government though there were no clear indications that they would withdraw support.

Shiv Sena claimed that they were likely to withdraw support to the Devendra Fadnavis-led government during the next year's Dusshera rally. But, they added that much hinged on the results of the assembly elections in Gujarat, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.

"If the BJP faces a setback in the Gujarat elections, not just the Shiv Sena or the opposition parties, but even the other NDA allies will assert themselves," noted a senior Sena leader.

He, however, admitted to differences within the party's legislators on Shiv Sena pulling out of the government and the possibility of mid-term polls. "Some MLAs are wary of early elections since this will require substantial spending on their part with some probability that they may not be re-elected," the Sena leader said. The BJP is also trying to poach Shiv Sena's flock with at least one legislator, Pratap Patil-Chikhalikar from Loha in Nanded, openly switching sides.

The immediate cause for Shiv Sena's unease is said to be the proposed induction of its bete noir and former Sainik Narayan Rane in the state cabinet. Rane, who quit the Congress to float his own front, has lost much of his former clout but can give it back to his parent party when it comes to trading barbs.

"Pawar exposed Shiv Sena's plans by speaking about his meeting with Uddhav. While NCP knows which way the wind blows, the Sena is unable to grasp the political situation," claimed a former Shiv Sena MLA. Pawar's party is said to be moving closer to the BJP with Pawar himself sharing the dais with Modi on a number of occasions.

Shiv Sena sources admitted that the strategy of standing on the contradictory stools of being in power and acting out the role of the opposition, attacking BJP and Modi on a range of issues would hurt the party in the long-term.

Meanwhile, a day after Pawar's revelation, an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna' on Wednesday took pot-shots at the NCP over its 'chintan shibir' at Karjat and noted that the term seemed to have been borrowed from the Sangh Pariwar. It questioned if this was "a part of ideological moorings or political opportunism," and pointed to how the attempts by the NCP to pitch Pawar as a Prime Ministerial candidate in 2019 may fall through.

"Pawar has friends in all political parties but in a political race, these friends either ditch you or stab you in the back. The Shiv Sena is experiencing this," the editorial said in a veiled reference to the BJP.

POTSHOTS AT NCP

  • Meanwhile, a day after Pawar’s revelation, an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ on Wednesday took pot-shots at the NCP over its ‘chintan shibir’ at Karjat.
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