As the Bharatiya Janata Party inches close to forming a government in Maharashtra, a sharp division has appeared in the leadership as to whether the party should go alone with the outside support of independents and the Nationalist Congress Party or whether it should enter into a coalition with Shiv Sena.
“The division is sharp and the dominant section in the party is against a coalition government with Sena,” said a senior BJP leader.
The BJP won 122 seats in the 288-member assembly, and its ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha got one. The party's erstwhile partner Shiv Sena won 63 seats, while the NCP ‒ which had ruled the state for ten years in an alliance with the Congress ‒ got 41. In addition, there are seven independents.
Visit postponed
According to BJP officials, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior party leader JP Nadda, postponed a scheduled visit Mumbai on Monday to decide on the leader of the government in the state until this debate could be reconciled. The two BJP leaders were also supposed to meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday.
Soon after election dates were announced, the Maharashtra political scene was thrown into disarray as the BJP's long-term alliance with the Shiv Sena crumbled. Within hours, the Congress and the NCP also snapped their ties.
“There is no doubt about the fact that going alone has benefited the party in elections," a BJP official said. "During the campaign, we succeeded in giving the message that the BJP is the only party that is working with a vision. We have to keep that in mind while taking a decision on government formation in Maharashtra. With the NCP already committing to help us form a stable government, where is the need for anyone else?”
NCP offer
On Sunday, soon after it became clear that the BJP was just short of a majority, the NCP offered outside support to party. This took the BJP's traditional ally, the Shiv Sena, by surprise. On Sunday evening, NCP leader Praful Patel appeared on several news channels to explain that Maharashtra “needed stability” and so his party had decided to provide “outside support” to prop up a BJP government in the state.
According to party officials, the BJP does not want to appear in a hurry, and the government formation in Maharashtra may take place after Diwali on Thursday. The meeting of the BJP MLAs may take place in next two days to elect the new chief minister.
Significantly, the Rashtriya Swayansevak Sangh, the BJP's parent organisation, is in favour of an alliance with the Sena because it wants all Hindutva forces to stay united.
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“The division is sharp and the dominant section in the party is against a coalition government with Sena,” said a senior BJP leader.
The BJP won 122 seats in the 288-member assembly, and its ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha got one. The party's erstwhile partner Shiv Sena won 63 seats, while the NCP ‒ which had ruled the state for ten years in an alliance with the Congress ‒ got 41. In addition, there are seven independents.
Visit postponed
According to BJP officials, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior party leader JP Nadda, postponed a scheduled visit Mumbai on Monday to decide on the leader of the government in the state until this debate could be reconciled. The two BJP leaders were also supposed to meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday.
Soon after election dates were announced, the Maharashtra political scene was thrown into disarray as the BJP's long-term alliance with the Shiv Sena crumbled. Within hours, the Congress and the NCP also snapped their ties.
“There is no doubt about the fact that going alone has benefited the party in elections," a BJP official said. "During the campaign, we succeeded in giving the message that the BJP is the only party that is working with a vision. We have to keep that in mind while taking a decision on government formation in Maharashtra. With the NCP already committing to help us form a stable government, where is the need for anyone else?”
NCP offer
On Sunday, soon after it became clear that the BJP was just short of a majority, the NCP offered outside support to party. This took the BJP's traditional ally, the Shiv Sena, by surprise. On Sunday evening, NCP leader Praful Patel appeared on several news channels to explain that Maharashtra “needed stability” and so his party had decided to provide “outside support” to prop up a BJP government in the state.
According to party officials, the BJP does not want to appear in a hurry, and the government formation in Maharashtra may take place after Diwali on Thursday. The meeting of the BJP MLAs may take place in next two days to elect the new chief minister.
Significantly, the Rashtriya Swayansevak Sangh, the BJP's parent organisation, is in favour of an alliance with the Sena because it wants all Hindutva forces to stay united.
