Alliance not ruled out, but BJP wants Sena to make first move
In a game of ego clashes, the BJP has dared the Shiv Sena to hold Congress’ hand for coming to power at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The statement came on a day of rife political speculation, where Sena was predicted to go with Congress to form a stable local body. The BJP, on the other hand, was predicted to get support from independents and work out some combination. But putting an end to all speculation by Saturday evening, Maharash- tra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refused any possibility of joining hands with either the Congress or the NCP. While Congress said it refused Sena’s offer to join hands, Sena refuted that it had approached the Congress.
“Let them go with Congress, then see what we do with them. They will be made to walk out of the state government if they ally with the Congress,” a senior BJP leader told The Sunday Guardian on the condition of anonymity. When asked if it meant that Shiv Sena and BJP would together rule the BMC, he said, “Our strategy is to wait and watch. We are in no hurry. The mayoral election will take place on 9 March. We have time.”
Another BJP leader said, “If we form an alliance, it will be with the Sena only. There is no question of going with the Congress.”
Meanwhile, Congress’ infighting became public after a senior leader said a section of the Congress leadership was in talks with the Sena for providing stability to Mumbai. But in some time, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said there was no way the party would join hands with Sena or BJP, “which has played caste and religion politics”. Gurudas Kamat made his displeasure clear over reports of talks between Sena and Congress.
What looks to be in store for Mumbai now is an unhappy alliance between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. Both the parties had broken the alliance before the elections.
“They had broken the alliance. So now, they should approach us first to form the alliance. We are open to them. We are not keen on going with anybody. With this kind of mandate, we are okay with sitting in the opposition. Anyway, half the committees will come to us. We are in power at the state and at the Centre. We are okay if we don’t get power in Mumbai,” a senior BJP leader said.
Sources close to Fadnavis said that the CM was waiting for the proposal to come from the Shiv Sena. “Sena shouldn’t go with Congress. They have been together for so many years. We will try to bring them together again,” Ramdas Athavale, an ally of the BJP, said.
In a house of 227 corporators, BJP won 82 seats and Shiv Sena 84. Currently, both parties are short of a majority of 114 seats to form a stable corporation. The underperforming Congress looks to be the kingmaker with 31 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party has earned an abysmal nine seats.
If Sena and BJP come together again, they will comfortably float through the needed majority. They will have 165 seats. The future seems to be clear for Mumbai. It might just take some time for the “unhappy alliance” to materialise. As a BJP leader said, “It is time to just wait and watch.”