BJP prepared to run minority govt: Maharashtra minister

After decision of going alone for the next assembly and Lok Sabha elections by the Shiv Sena, BJP has decided to get rid of Shiv Sena and is preparing to run a minority Government in the Maharashtra.

A senior minister in Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government told DNA that BJP has conveyed its decision to Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray last week, soon after Shiv Sena National executive meeting at NSCI.

BJP has 123 MLAs, while Shiv Sena has 63 in the House of 288. Congress and NCP together have 83 MLAs. BJP, soon after the Shiv Sena National executive meeting, had its core committee meeting and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a talk with the Party's central leadership. After discussing the everyday criticism and decision of Sena to fight the next assembly elections on its own, BJP leaders are of the view that there was no point in allowing Sena to have all the benefits of being in Cabinet.

A Central leader and a Union minister from Maharashtra, however, has opined that the BJP should not do anything in haste since the political atmosphere is not conducive at this juncture for mid-term polls. The state BJP has its own survey that tells the party that it can win majority on its own if mid-term polls are held soon after Monsoon 2018.

The senior minister from the Fadnavis Cabinet told DNA that he had a telephonic talk with Uddhav, after the core committee meeting since Fadnavis was in Davos. The BJP has conveyed to Shiv Sena that it is prepared to run a minority government. Thackeray is believed to have conveyed to the Minister that Shiv Sena's announcement of going alone needs to be seen in the context of the national scenario.

Minister for Industries Subhash Desai has made it clear that there is nothing wrong in Sena's announcement of going alone since the same decision was taken by the BJP in the 1990s and it was late Pramod Mahajan who had given the slogan of Shat Prati-Shat BJP, which means to bring the BJP to power on its own.

Another BJP minister and a senior party leader, on the condition of anonymity, told DNA that despite the fact that Sena has given the call of going alone, no one knows as to what would be the political situation and scenario when the state would actually go for elections. The minister said that Sena's announcement needs to be understood in view of the fact that it wants to cater to its own audience, which can get charged with such a slogan.

The senior minister who spoke to Thackeray over the phone remarked that the discussion within BJP core group and discussion at the highest level of the party would reflect in Cabinet reshuffle, which is on the cards.