NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s alliance partners in the Mahayuti in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party are indulging in tough bargaining, including demanding the portfolios of home, finance, public works department and speaker of the Assembly that the BJP seems unwilling to part with. This is delaying the decision to form government in the state more than a week after the Assembly election results were declared.
While things are settled as far as the Chief Minister’s position is concerned, with BJP getting that post and probably nominating Devendra Fadnavis, things are still being discussed regarding the Deputy CM’s (DCM’s) chair. As The Sunday Guardian had written last week, there will be two DCMs. One of them would be Ajit Pawar from NCP, while who would represent Sena is still not confirmed, with Eknath Shinde apparently stating that he doesn’t want to be DCM.
A discussion had taken place involving Shinde, Pawar, Fadnavis and the BJP leadership including Amit Shah where the allies presented their demands. Another meeting is likely to be held in the coming two days to resolve the impasse. A final decision is unlikely to come before Tuesday though.
The BJP has won on 132 Assembly seats out of the 149 it contested, with more than an 85% success rate. The state has 288 Assembly seats.
The BJP wants the issues to be resolved amicably so that the state doesn’t witness any political turmoil in the next five years.
According to sources, there is a section within the BJP which is pushing for an Other Backward Class (OBC) leader as the CM. A person privy to the developments said, “Some leaders at the national level of the BJP are suggesting that if the party has an OBC Chief Minister, it will suit its national narrative as well as in the state where around 36% people are OBCs. However, there is also pressure building up to give Devendra Fadnavis the position as the claim is that it was his strategy that helped the Mahayuti defeat the Maha Vikas Aghadi.”
In the Shinde government, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis was in charge of the home department. So BJP is not ready to give up the post of home minister. However, the Shinde faction is arguing that if they are getting the post of Deputy CM, then the home portfolio should also be given to them. This is because when Shinde was CM, he allowed the BJP to have the home portfolio. A source said, “The BJP has got caught in Shinde’s demand for the home portfolio. The negotiations concluded with Shinde asking to continue the pattern of portfolio allotment which was marked out in the former government. Where if he is replaced by the BJP, the portfolios should also be replaced on the same lines. Therefore if he is made the Deputy Chief Minister he should also be given home.”
Along with the home department, Shinde has asked for finance. However, the BJP is said to have already promised to repeat the allotment of portfolios to Ajit Pawar which he had been holding during the Shinde government. In addition to that, sources say that the BJP wants to keep home, revenue, higher education, law, energy, rural development with itself. The Shiv Sena has been offered health, urban development, public works and industry. Whereas NCP has been offered departments like finance, planning, cooperation and agriculture.
A source in Maharashtra said, “Shinde says that if he steps down from CM’s post and becomes Deputy Chief Minister he should be made convener and the post of Assembly speaker should also be given to his party. Shinde is a big Maratha face, and BJP doesn’t want to upset him. They want to take him along. He is seen as a strong leader who was able to break the Shiva Sena with 38 MLAs walking out with him.”
Several sources suggest that Amit Shah has given time until Monday to settle all disagreements after which he will take a decision on government formation. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat has said that whenever Shinde has to take any big decision, he goes to his native village in Satara. Shinde is now in Satara. According to an agency report, Shinde is suffering from fever and a throat infection for the past two days. His family doctor has said that a team of three to four doctors is treating Shinde.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced on Saturday that the oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government would take place on Thursday, 5 December, at 5 pm at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.