New Delhi: As the power struggle between the BJP and Shiv Sena enters the 14th day, the BJP is all set to meet the Governor without Sena on Thursday. On the other hand, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has summoned 56 elected MLAs at his residence. According to reports, after the Sena meeting, the MLAs might be shifted to Trident Hotel, Mumbai. Their phones will be taken away so that they can’t be contacted by the BJP. Also Read - Maharashtra: Prospect of Government Formation Brightens, BJP Leaders to Meet Governor Today
The two parallel developments show little sign of merging as on Thursday, Sena mouthpiece Saamana came up with a caustic editorial denouncing BJP’s politics involving money and muscle power. Also Read - ‘BJP Not Taking Shiv Sena Into Confidence in Maharashtra,’ Alleges Congress Leader Ashok Chavan
Meanwhile, the term of the previous assembly is set to end on Saturday. Also Read - Maharashtra Deadlock: No Alliance With Sena, Have No Idea How Sena Will Get 170 MLAs, Says Sharad Pawar
But what if Devendra Fadnavis fails to attain the magic 145 figure during the floor test in the 288-strong Assembly? While BJP insiders think Sena will finally give in, there’s no hint of an impending thaw. Instead, Sena leaders are pitching for a Sena CM. If the BJP fails to prove majority, Sena-NCP-Congress could have been the alternative, but NCP leader Sharad Pawar has dismissed any such possibility after he met Raut on Wednesday. Congress, too, made it clear that it doesn’t want to ally with the Sena. In that case, it could also pave the way for President’s Rule.
“We met the Governor, Republican Party of India’s Ramdas Athawale also met him. And if BJP leaders are meeting the Governor tomorrow to stake claim then they should form the government as they are the single largest party, we have been saying it,” Sena MP Sanjay Raut said commenting on BJP’s proposed meet with the Governor.
Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Wednesday claimed that Maharashtra has caught itself in a political bottleneck with the ‘elder brother’ BJP not taking its ‘younger brother’ Shiv Sena into confidence. “The present situation in Maharashtra is because of BJP not taking its allies into confidence. That is why Shiv Sena is disturbed and there is tension between the two. There cannot be a solution till Shiv Sena withdraws from the alliance,” Ashok Chavan was quoted by a report as saying.