Three Independent MLAs from Maharashtra have announced their support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while two other elected representatives lent their support to the Shiv Sena.
The three Independent MLAs who have announced their support to the BJP are Geeta Jain, Rajendra Raut and Ravi Rana. Jain, a BJP rebel who won Mira Bhayandar seat in Thane district by defeating the party's official nominee Narendra Mehta in the 21 October elections. She had also met the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) chief and Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur on Saturday to express her gratitude for helping her in the election campaign. Jain's visit to Thakur, who was supported by the Congress and NCP during polls, had raised speculation about her future political move.
A file photo of Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray. PTI
Raut, also a BJP rebel, defetaed Shiv Sena's official candidate Dilip Sopal from the Barshi constituency, while Rana was elected from the Badnera seat in Amravati district.
Meanwhile, in a boost to Shiv Sena’s say in the government formation, Achalpur MLA and Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) chief Bachchu Kadu and his colleague Rajkumar Patel, legislator from Melghat, offered support to the Shiv Sena. On Kadu's support, a Shiv Sena leader told PTI, "We adjusted with the BJP between 2014-19, now it is time to have our share," he said.
After results for the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced on 24 October, Uddhav Thackeray had reminded the BJP of the 50:50 formula "agreed upon" between himself, BJP chief Amit Shah and and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "I contested less number of seats for Lok Sabha and assembly elections. I cannot accommodate the BJP every time," Uddhav Thackeray had said.
On Saturday, the Sena demanded a written assurance from the BJP that it will implement the formula for equal sharing of power. Uddhav Thackeray had also told MLAs from his party that though "other options" were open for him, he didn't want to explore them given that the alliance of the BJP and Sena is bound by the "Hindutva ideology”.
In his write-up for party mouthpiece Saamana, Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the party now had the "remote control of power" in Maharashtra despite getting fewer seats in the assembly polls when compared to 2014. On Friday, Raut tweeting a cartoon showing a tiger (the Sena's party symbol) wearing a clock locket (the symbol of the opposition NCP) sniffing a lotus (BJP's party symbol). Sanjay Raut's cartoon post was captioned "bura na maano Diwali hai" and was carried with a column in Saamana.
Uddhav Thackeray since raised his pitch for "equal sharing" of power, which apparently entails chief ministership for his son Aaditya Thackeray and allotment of plum portfolios to Sena MLAs in the next state government.
Fadnavis had said in rallies before the polls that he would return as chief minister. In their poll rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had also endorsed Fadnavis.
In the elections held for the 288-member Assembly, BJP garnered 105 seats, while the Sena won in 56. While the BJP had won in 122 seats in the 2014 state polls, Sena’s tally reduced by seven seats.
October 28, 2019 at 09:19AM
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