Mumbai: For now, chaos rules. Now that the election results are out, political manoeuvring for government formation is at its peak. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not ready to split the chief minister's post with the Shiv Sena. The Sena, on its part, is fervently pitching for the CM post, for the first two-and-a-half years. These developements have put a question mark on Devendra Fadnavis becoming the next chief minister.
The Sena's demand has put the BJP in a spot. It is ready to give 50 per cent cabinet berths to its ally, as well as thrown in the deputy CM post. But Fadnavis seems to be averse to the idea of inducting Aaditya Thackeray as his deputy. The Sena want key portfolios like home, urban development and revenue. Fadnavis is not ready to cede Home to the Sena, come what may. Home is crucial to political management and is the sanctuary for lumpen elements, who help during elections. The department also helps keep political rivals in check. The BJP has asked the Sena to pick urban development or finance or housing. But the Sena wants at least two of these key ministries. Social welfare too has been offered to it but the Sena is not going to be so easily mollified. Sensing this, the BJP has not ruled out the possibility of sitting it out in the opposition.
"We will sit in the opposition and prepare to win 288 seats in the next election. We will regularly organise protests against this government," said a leader in the BJP.
Fadnavis in trouble, fresh hope for Patil
It is apparent Fadnavis is in trouble as there is growing opposition to his being at the helm of the government. There are BJP legislators opposed to him, who are lobbying hard for change. The party's national president Amit Shah too has signalled he is thinking along the same lines and has reportedly asked some legislators to meet him. He is inclined to appoint Chandrakant Patil as CM, as the latter is close to him. Patil, the Maratha from Western Maharashtra will be a good choice for the post as in this assembly election, Western Maharashtra has practically rejected the BJP and chosen to again embrace the NCP. If the BJP wants to regain this lost base, Patil is its hope. Despite Fadnavis being the CM, the BJP lost more than 14 seats in Vidarbha, including four in Nagpur district. The overall drop in BJP seats and particularly in Vidarbha, has considerably weakened Fadnavis's claim to this post. Shah has discussed goverment formation with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and is going to meet Uddhav to finalise the deal. Though Uddhav is close to Fadnavis, if he were to oppose Fadnavis's nomination as CM, this will be another blow to Fadnavis.
