Uddhav now waiting for BJP to make the first move

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray hinted Sunday he is ready to form a government with the BJP, but made it clear he was “waiting silently” for the BJP to make the first move.

Uddhav, without mentioning names, taunted both Raj Thackeray and Narayan Rane, saying voters had taught them a lesson for giving grief to Bal Thackeray. He also made fun of opinion polls and exit polls that gave the BJP a majority.

Uddhav told reporters at Matoshree that none of the parties achieved what they wanted. “We fought a lone battle and did well. I don’t know how to thank the people. I make a promise not to break the trust of the people who put their belief in us. I have no proposal for the BJP. I will not make an offer to them, but I will think if I get an offer. Imagine if I go with a proposal and they go with the NCP... It’s better to wait and remain silent,” he said.

Parrying “hypothetical” questions, he noted how the BJP had severely criticised the NCP. Uddhav added his vision document would be a talking point for any alliance with the BJP.

Nagpur, Oct. 19: Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, where separate statehood demand is a contentious issue, has overwhelmingly come out in support of the BJP, which won 43 of the 62 seats while the Congress suffered a setback.

The Congress’ tally dropped from 24 in 2009 to 10 seats. BJP, a strong votary of small states, seems to have struck a chord with voters in Vidarbha, a cotton- rich belt which has become infamous for farmer suicides, an issue raised in this election also, as its bagged 43 seats against 19 in the last assembly poll.

The Shiv Sena, which is in favour of a unified Maharashtra, held eight seats in the last three Assembly elections but this time bagged only five.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena won one seat, and so has the NCP.

With the end of the BJPShiv Sena and the Congress - NCP alliances, Vidarbha is open country for these parties. A demand for a separate state of Vidarbhawhich consists of 10 districts, has been around for decades. The region is rich in natural resources and has most of the forest cover of the state.

The Shiv Sena stood third or fourth in several seats with many of candidates even losing their deposits. Incidentally, the Shiv Sena has four MPs from the region.

Prominent losers from Congress include Deputy Speaker Vasant Purke from Ralegaon, Nitn Raut ( Nagpur- North) Rajendra Shekhawat ( Amravati), Anees Ahmad ( NagpurCentral), Satish Chaturvedi ( Nagpur- South) and Rahul Thakre ( Yavatmal).

Prominent winners include Devendra Fadnavis ( Nagpur- South West), Sudhir Mungattiwar ( Ballarpur) and Chainsukh Sancheti ( Malkapur), all of BJP.