NEW DELHI: With grumpy ally Shiv Sena attempting to browbeat the BJP, heavyweight home minister and party chief Amit Shah is likely to step in to settle the berth pangs in government formation in Maharashtra. The BJP has made the Chief Minister’s position non-negotiable while offering the deputy chief minister’s slot to the Sena.
Aware that the Sena has the compulsive habit of muscle-flexing in public, the BJP does not want to be drawn in the politics of brinkmanship. “We don’t want to rub in Shiv Sena. We are familiar with Sena tactic of playing to the gallery. The BJP is also aware that it has to co-exist with the Sena,” said a senior BJP functionary.
Sources said Shah will meet Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at his house this week for a one-on-one discussion on power-sharing. Incidentally, it was Fadanvis who did the pre-poll seat-sharing talks with Thackeray, not Amit Shah. However, Amit Shah briefly spoke to Thackeray on phone after the poll verdict.
Too much fuss around Aaditya, feels BJP
There is a lot of noise around Sena scion and first-time MLA Aaditya Thackeray being made the CM, but BJP leaders remain unfazed. “He has to first gain experience in administration. He can do so by joining the alliance government as the deputy CM,” said a BJP functionary. The BJP’s state unit is hoping to hit the 2014 tally of MLAs with support from Independents