The offer of 119 seats to BJP was the ‘˜final’ offer put on table by the Sena chief Uddhav Thakarey. BJP rejected it.
The 25 year old alliance of Shiv Sena and BJP is on the verge of breaking.
The fight regarding the seat sharing ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections for both the parties seems to have become an unending process.
On Sunday morning, the Sena publicly offered 119 seats to the BJP, keeping 151 seats for itself and 18 for their smaller allies.
Rejecting the offer, the BJP leaders have said that they will give a new seat sharing formula to Sena soon.
It should be noted that many discussions have been held over the last few days between the two parties regarding the issue and at least half a dozen seat sharing formulas have been exchanged between them. But, the discussions have remained inconclusive as both are rejecting each other’s offers, citing various reasons.
The offer of 119 seats to BJP was the ‘final’ offer put on table by the Sena chief Uddhav Thakarey. Under Uddhav’s 169:119 formula, nine seats each were to be left by the Sena and BJP for allies Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, Republican Party of India, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and Shiv Sangram.
“It would mean the Sena getting 160 seats, BJP 110 and allies 18. But I am willing to take one step back and concede nine seats more to the BJP. This would ensure that the BJP’s share remains 119 seats,” he said.
On the other hand, the BJP wants some change. The party leaders stated that they have been contesting on 119 seats for last two decades and that they wanted some change in the offer. In the 2009 assembly polls too, the BJP had contested 119 seats while Shiv Sena fought 169.
A report quoted Vinod Tawde, senior BJP leader and opposition leader of the Maharashtra legislative council: “No offer is final in the alliance and there is always scope for dialogue. We will give the Sena a new offer to consider as re-distribution of seats is required.”
The BJP has reportedly indicated to the Sena that the alliance would end if its demand for 126 to130 seats was not met. It has proposed 140-144 seats for the Sena and 18 for the allies. Both the central and state BJP were agreed that the Sena’s offer of 119 was not acceptable at any cost.
It was a day of marathon discussions for the top leaders of the BJP in New Delhi to chalk out strategy. A parliamentary board meeting was followed by the Central Election Committee holding talks, which was followed by another meeting of the parliamentary board. Both party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended all the meetings.
Reportedly, the two leaders also met separately where they discussed the ramifications “if the Sena and BJP separate” and what can be done to “salvage” the tie-up. The BJP parliamentary board meeting has already reviewed its preparations on the 169 seats which were contested by the Sena in the 2009 elections.
The Indian Express reported: The Sena, that also held meetings throughout the day, has decided to wait till Monday before making any move. The Maharashtra BJP core committee conveyed to the central leaders that it was ready to contest all the 288 seats in the state in the October 15 elections. While the overall mood in the party is that it should not buckle under the Sena’s pressure, senior leaders are willing to make one last attempt to bring around its ally. Senior leaders and Union ministers Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh may be deployed to hold negotiations with Uddhav.
But both the parties know importance of each other and that is why they are ready to take risk. Firstpost reported: “I want the alliance to remain intact as it is based on Hindutva ideology. So, I am coming two steps backward and giving a final offer to the BJP to the save the 25 year old alliance,” said Uddhav Thackeray while addressing the gathering of senior party leaders on Sunday in suburban Mumbai.
But it has become a matter of pride for both where Uddhav, in particular, looks at it as a battle of existence for the Sena.
Looking at the admance of both the parties, it is time they saved their energy and ended it.
