In a clear-cut message to the BJP Maharashtra unit, the party President Amit Shah has instructed them to start preparing for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls “with or without” an alliance with the Shiv Sena. Shah made these remarks while addressing both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from Maharashtra at a meeting in New Delhi.
The Indian Express has quoted a senior BJP MP, on the condition of anonymity, saying, “Amit Shah said the BJP was keen on having a pre-poll alliance with the Shiv Sena for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. But if the alliance does not happen, the BJP should be well-prepared for going solo. The party president also underlined the fact that the BJP will not concede to the alliance partner’s unreasonable demands on seat-sharing.”
Amit Shah’s strong message to frenemy alliance partner- Shiv Sena- has come amidst Sena’s harsh attack on PM Modi. Shah’s remarks clearly indicate that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not likely to come under Shiv Sena’s pressure. With Shah’s aforementioned statement, the possibility of seat-sharing based on Bihar model does not seem possible in Maharashtra.
Earlier, in July last year, there were media reports stating that Amit Shah in a meeting with Maharashtra unit of the party in Mumbai, had instructed the state BJP leaders to start preparing for the 2019 General elections keeping in mind the possibility to go solo in the elections.
For more details: Amit Shah to BJP workers “We’ll go solo in 2019”
A BJP MP explaining party’s tough stand on Shiv Sena, said, “It appears the central leadership is upset as the Sena is crossing the Laxman Rekha. Now, the general mood in the party is, the BJP should not surrender to Sena pressure.”
The Indian Express quoted the senior Bharatiya Janata Party functionary saying, “The Shiv Sena wants the BJP to concede more seats to them for the 2019 Assembly elections. Their argument is, the BJP should follow the Bihar alliance model in the Assembly elections.”
According to a Shiv Sena leader, “The BJP should give them at least 155 seats out of 288 seats in the Assembly. In the Lok Sabha, they are ready for 23 seats out of 48 seats”.
However, political scenarios of Bihar and Maharashtra are different altogether and cannot be compared. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party contested 24 out of 48 seats and won 23 while Sena contested 22 and won 18 seats. According to political analysts, Uddhav Thackeray will find it hard to survive without the Bharatiya Janata Party, but in case Shiv Sena decides to quit the alliance, the state of Maharashtra will witness a three-cornered election with the saffron party having the upper hand.
Shiv Sena has been BJP’s long-time ally. But, during the last Maharashtra state assembly elections, both the parties parted ways over seat distribution and contested elections alone. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party in the elections and formed a post-poll alliance with the Shiv Sena to cross the magic figure comfortably. But the Shiv Sena since then has been a ‘bitter frenemy’ of the BJP. It has failed to fulfill the role of a coalition partner and has emerged as one of the staunch opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
