Sena still undecided on joining BJP govts

MUMBAI: The stalemate on the power-sharing for mula in Maharashtra continued even as the Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray nominated his close aide and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai as Sena’s second representative to be sworn in as a minister in the union cabinet’s expansion that will take place on Sunday.

The Sena leadership has linked the union cabinet expansion to its negotiations with BJP for a power-sharing formula to support the latter’s government in Maharashtra. The Sena, sources say has issued a Sunday morning deadline to the BJP, after which Thackeray will take a final call.

If the state issue gets solved by Sunday morning, Desai will attend the swearing in ceremony and the Sena will vote in favour of the BJP during the trust vote. But if there is no headway in the talks, the Sena will stay out of the state government, and might even

SENA HAS LINKED UNION CABINET EXPANSION TO ITS NEGOTIATIONS FOR A POWER-SHARING FORMULA TO SUPPORT THE BJP GOVT IN MAHA

decide to sit in the opposition.

“I have called a meeting of Sena MLAs on Sunday in which I will clarify our stand,” Thackeray told the media on Saturday. The Sena wants 12 ministerial berths along with deputy chief ministership or home department. It also wants key portfolios like home, finance, urban development and housing.

Meanwhile, the BJP might not give heed to the Sena ultimatum. “We are clear the cabinet expansion will take place after the trust vote is passed. The Sena should back us first. If our intentions were unclear, we would have not even offered them new ministerial positions in the central government,” a senior BJP leader said.