BJP may go for minority Maha govt

The BJP is likely to woo MLAs from either the Congress or the NCP. The party leadership is least interested in forming the government with the help of the Shiv Sena due to their demands and conditions.

Despite continuing talks with the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) is exploring all the options for the formation of the government in Maharashtra.

The party is likely to woo MLAs from either the Congress or the NCP to reach the magic number of 145 seats to form a full majority government. Forming a minority government is also on the agenda of the party in case the modalities with the possible coalition partners do not work out.

According to sources, the BJP does not want to leave any stone unturned to form the government. The party leadership is least interested in forming the government with the help of the Shiv Sena due to their demands and conditions.

This has led the party to take on board smaller parties excluding a few and all seven Independent MLAs. State BJP president Devendra Fadnavis, who is also one of the frontrunners for the chief ministerial post, confirmed that the same. “Apart from the MNS, AIMIM, Samajwadi Party and the BBM, we have contacted all other political parties and all are ready to join in the cause,” Mr Fadnavis told this newspaper.

Along with the one seat of its coalition partner, the Rashtriya Samaj Party ( RSP), the BJP won 123 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections and needs at least 22 seats more to prove its majority on the floor of the House.

Highly- placed sources in the party said that they would prefer considering taking MLAs from the Congress or the NCP instead of facing the “fussy” attitude of the Shiv Sena. “If we succeed in wooing 14- 15 MLAs of the Congress then all our problems will be solved. Going by the numbers, the MLAs would also remain safe from anti- defection law,” the sources said.

According to the sources, the anti- defection law is not applicable if one- third of the members of a party wants to split from their original one. Keeping in view the total strength of the Congress in the Maharashtra Assembly, around 14- 15 would be enough to protect the MLAs from the ambit of the above law.