Mumbai: Shiv Sena had set deadline for Bharatiya Janata Party to decide for alliance with party before trust vote. Notify that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis after he had received a call from BJP chief Amit Shah.
Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao had given 15 days to minority government of Fadnavis to hold a trust vote.
Shiv Sena sources say if the BJP fails to finalise a deal by then, the party will not support the new government during the trust vote.
The BJP with 121 seats needs at least 24 more to win the vote of confidence in the 288-member House. The party had originally won 122 seats but one of its MLAs died after the results were announced, bringing down the tally to 121. The party has now claimed support of all seven independent MLAs and some from smaller parties.
The Shiv Sena, with 63 seats, is an ideal partner. However, the BJP already has an offer of outside support from the NCP, which has 41 seats. The NCP has said that it would abstain during the trust vote to help the BJP government.
Meanwhile saffron party has indicated that it is in favour of truck with the Shiv Sena while delaying a decision on alliance.
After swearing-in on Friday, Fadnavis said, “Uddhav Thackeray’s attendance today was a big gesture. Talks are moving in the right direction.”
The small size of his Cabinet also indicates that the BJP is ready to accommodate allies.
The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, is believed to have agreed to the 2:1 formula representation in the government, whereby the Maharashtra party will have one minister for every two of the BJP.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply