india

Updated: Nov 07, 2019 00:25 IST

The tussle for power in Maharashtra between allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena showed no signs of being near a resolution on Wednesday with an end-of-the-week deadline for government formation closing in and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) saying it would prefer to sit in the Opposition, ruling out the prospect of backing a Sena-led government .

A BJP delegation of state party chief Chandrakant Patil and senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar will meet governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday.

“In the state polls, the mandate was for BJP, Sena, Republican Party of India and other smaller parties. We want to respect this mandate and all our future steps will be to ensure that a saffron alliance government is formed,” said Mungantiwar, after a meeting ofMaharashtraministers with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

“We will meet the governor tomorrow (Thursday) to apprise him of our plans to form the new government in the state,” he added.

But the Sena, which remains adamant on its demand of sharing the chief minister’s position on a rotational basis, a demand that the BJP has categorically rejected, said it had received nonew proposal from the BJP to negotiate on.

“If the BJP stakes its claim to form the government, it must submit a list of 145 supporting MLAs. We shall be very happy. Nevertheless, we are confident that the next CM will be from Shiv Sena,” party MP Sanjay Raut said in the evening. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray has called a meeting of party legislators on Thursday.

The BJP and the Sena have been locked in a standoff over the post of chief minister since the state assembly results on October 24 threw up a hung House, with the BJP securing 105 seats, the Sena 56, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44. The assembly has 288 seats.

Since then, the BJP has sought to bring the Sena to the negotiating table several times, even offering an equal split of ministerial berths – which would mean a gain of six for the regional party from the outgoing cabinet – but the Sena has dismissed the proposals.

Instead, Raut sent feelers to the NCP and the Congress but these appeared to have been rebuffed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai after meeting Raut, Pawar ruled out backing the Sena. “Where is the question [of a non-BJP government]?” he asked, noting that the BJP and the Shiv Sena had been in an alliance for 25 years, and that they “will come together sooner or later”.

“If we had the numbers, we wouldn’t have waited for anyone [for government formation]. The Congress and NCP didn’t cross the 100 mark...we will work as a responsible Opposition,” said the 78-year-old.

He added the BJP and Sena had won the mandate to rule. “They should form the government at the earliest and not allow the state to slip into a constitutional crisis. They should allow us to fulfil the mandate assigned to us by people [to sit in Opposition].”

His comments came two days after he met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. A senior party leader had said that the Congress was leaning against supporting the Sena. Pawar also refused to attach any political importance to reports of a meeting between Union minister Nitin Gadkari and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

The term of the outgoing legislative assembly ends on Saturday, which is the deadline for government formation. Any further delay, experts warn, could plunge the state into political uncertainty and lead to President’s Rule.

A senior BJP leader said back-channel talks between the Sena and BJP were being held through two mediators, one close to each camp.

“We have asked them to join the government now as we have a clear mandate for the alliance. Their demand for splitting the CM’s post can be discussed within six to seven months with the Delhi leadership. Currently our top brass is not willing to concede it at all,” said the BJP leader, who requested anonymity.

He said that BJP had also conveyed to the Sena that the ruling party would consider the demand for equal splitting of ministerial berths including certain important portfolios.

“Both of us cannot afford Presidential rule right now. It will be an embarrassment for us if the governor has to impose President’s Rule even after the people gave us a clear mandate,” said another senior BJP functionary, also requesting anonymity .