After the intense power tussle between its two top leaders the party has found a reason to celebrate and renew its pledge to return saffron to power in Maharashtra.
The BJP knows that ending its alliance with the Sena at this point will spell disaster
The state BJP is upbeat. After the intense power tussle between its two top leaders — Nitin Gadkari and Gopinath Munde — the party has found a reason to celebrate and renew its pledge to return saffron to power in Maharashtra. Unlike in Karnataka, where the party has achieved a simple majority on its own steam, it has limitations in Maharashtra. Top BJP leaders admit that this is not a suitable time for the party to go solo.
Ever since its pact with the Shiv Sena in 1984, the BJP has been contesting just 117 seats out of the total 288. The Sena has always bargained for the larger share of 171 on the ground that it is more powerful in Mumbai and the rest of the state.
A senior RSS-BJP leader says, “After the Karnataka elections, there are voices emanating within the BJP to drive a harder bargain, especially in the wake of the delimitation exercise that has altered the composition of constituencies.”
As the election draws nearer, the tussle within the alliance on seat sharing is likely to become more intense. The hardliners within the BJP led by state president Nitin Gadkari are unwilling to concede their space to the Sena. But they also have to strike a balance to ensure that the alliance does not fall apart, especially when the NDA would need support from each and every state to prop up LK Advani as its prime ministerial candidate. Maharashtra, with 48 Lok Sabha seats, will play a crucial role in selecting the prime minister.
BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde says, “The Sena-BJP alliance is sealed. After the delimitation process, we may have to undertake some corrections in the allocation of seats. But there should be no ambiguity about our alliance in 2009.”
Despite the Karnataka victory, what is it that prevents the BJP from contesting the elections on its own in the state? The answer is the party's Hindutva agenda, which it shares with the Shiv Sena. In Maharashtra, it is Bal Thackeray who has won the tag of ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’. BJP leaders say any move to contest the elections separately will split the Hindutva votes, benefiting the Congress and the NCP. Though the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has its headquarters in Nagpur, it is the Congress which has been winning the city’s Lok Sabha seat.
Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray maintains, “Our alliance is based on a strong foundation of ideology and common goals. It will last.”
But both the Sena and the BJP are taking steps to consolidate their own positions. Recently, the Sena managed to win over the Kunbi Sena to its fold. On its part, the BJP is trying to attract new Other Backward Classes (OBC) constituents using Munde as its mascot.
Less than six months ago, when the BJP had strained its relations with the Sena, a large section within the party had wanted it to end the alliance. Former finance minister Eknath Khadse went so far as to advocate that the party should forget 2009 and plan for the 2014 polls. The BJP wanted to be the single largest party in the state with its own chief minister. Post-Karnataka, there is some thought that the BJP will have to soon take a decision on expanding its organisation. For now, however, the party is caught between short-term electoral gain and long-term expansion plan.
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