The BJP is in no hurry to stake claim to form the government in Maharashtra, but will wait until the ruckus in the Shiv Sena affects its strength at the level of municipal corporations in cities and municipalities in towns and districts. The BJP leader claimed here. He told on the condition of anonymity that the current power struggle in Maharashtra is not just for change of power in the state, but a concerted effort by the BJP to drive away the supporters of Shiv Sena and tighten its grip on the issue of Hindutva.
The BJP leader further said that the first step in this direction is to strengthen the Shiv Sena camp under the leadership of Eknath Shinde by taking a pledge to uphold the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, to ensure the presence of maximum rebel MLAs from his side. He said the BJP was deeply troubled by Uddhav Thackeray’s “betrayal” after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, when he joined hands with the NCP and Congress, breaking the decades-old saffron alliance.
While the ruckus in the Shiv Sena camp dates back to the formation of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government run by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the final act came into play during the counting of votes for the Legislative Council elections on June 20. Shiv Sena leaders realized something was amiss when the counting of votes was halted for a few hours on Monday evening over certain objections and counter-objections raised by BJP and MVA allies.
Shinde had led an initial group of rebel MLAs across the state’s border to Gujarat, which set in motion a plan to disband the Shiv Sena. A major reason for Shinde’s displeasure was the insurgent leader’s tight control of the important urban development department from the chief minister and his confidantes. The senior leader said that Maharashtra BJP leaders are keeping silent on the instructions of the central leadership.
Asked how the state’s intelligence machinery failed to weather the impending troubles, he claimed that Thackeray had deputed a senior minister and confidante to receive daily intelligence briefings for the chief minister. The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress MVA government ran into trouble when Shinde moved a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs and stationed himself first in Surat and later in a luxury hotel in Guwahati, criticizing Thackeray’s style of functioning. .
In the last few days, the number of rebel MLAs in the Shinde camp has increased, raising questions on the continuation of the MVA government.
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