- >>
- Politics
NEW DELHI: BJP President Amit Shah’s maiden assertion that his party will form the government in Maharashtra has not been well received by the Shiv Sena. The tensions between the two allies have increased since the Lok Sabha elections with the chemistry between Udhav Thackeray and Shah clearly frayed around the edges.
Shah who has risen to new heights after ensuring 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats for the BJP, has now urged party workers to ensure that the party gets the majority and forms the government in Maharashtra, and the other states going to polls this year as well. Senior Shiv Sena leader manoj Joshi has already reacted with, “ we don’t agree fully with Shah’s statement. It is unfortunate and might lead to cracks in the saffron alliance.”
The Shiv Sena has been projecting its chief Udhav Thackeray as the chief minister. Local surveys have projecting the BJP-Shiv Sena as a winning combination for Maharashtra, but the cracks between the two are widening instead of being cemented. Maharashtra BJP workers have been keen to go with MNS Raj Thackeray seeing him as more popular and pliable with the Shiv Sena currently bargaining hard for seats. This has created further tensions with Shah fuelling the fires on the eve of the polls.
Shah has been not very pro-alliances preferring the BJP to contest on its own. Sources said that he has been of the view that the party, with some hard work and effort, can increase its base on the all the states and hence need not share the goodwill with the allies.
