New Delhi: A week after it emerged as the single largest party in the Maharashtra state assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided that its newly elected legislators will meet in the Vidhan Bhawan at Mumbai on October 28. They will elect their leader who would then be sworn in as the chief minister, in all likelihood on October 30. This time table ends the uncertainty about the schedule for government formation, but a decision about the alliance with the Shiv Sena remains pending.
The ceremony is likely to be held at the Wankhede Stadium and Prime Minister Narendra Modi may attend it, electronic media sources said. The talks with Shiv Sena can continue after the swearing-in of a mini cabinet, the sources added.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and party general secretary J P Nadda would be present at the October 28 meeting as central observers from the party. It is expected that the newly elected leader would then call on the governor to proceed with the formation of the government.
But clarity about the choice of the leader as well as the nature of the alliance is still awaited. The tussle for the leader’s post is between the two RSS-bred Brahmins of Nagpur — Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis. The haze persists even as Gadkari insists that he is happy with his job as the union minister. This is because Gadkari enjoys a big chunk of support among the legislators and a vocal section of the senior leaders still keeps backing him.
A decision about the relationship with Shiv Sena would be taken only after the election of the leader. Party insiders do inform that back channel discussions are on, but also admit that the terms of trade may not be very appealing for the Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Having played the big brother for nearly 25 years, the Sena would find it very difficult to swallow the humble pie and submit to the BJP’s demand that it be recognised as the big brother and treated as such.
In real terms, it implies that the Sena would have to be content with the number of berths it is offered in the ministry and the portfolios. ‘‘It is only after these terms are accepted that there can be any further negotiation,” said a senior BJP functionary.
The BJP with 123 members in a House of 288 is comfortably placed as it has the support of at least 15 other unattached members, and the offer of unconditional support from the 41-member Nationalist Congress Party. This formulation makes it quite clear that the party would pass the floor test even without the backing of Shiv Sena’s 63 members.
