Maha BJP urged to fix deal with Sena

Mumbai: After sealing an alliance with Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] for Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) central leadership wants to fix a deal with the Shiv Sena for Maharas-htra at the earliest, and highly placed sources informed The Asian Age that the BJP’s leadership has asked its state unit to expedite the process.

Since a few months, BJP has been trying to woo the Sena. But, the Sena leadership is consistent on its line of ‘Ekla Chalo Re’ (going solo for election). So to get a clear picture, the BJP’s central leadership has asked the state unit to take a strong stand on the deal.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ most recent speech indicates the pressure on him. In a party meeting at Pimpri, Pune, Mr Fadnavis upped the ante on Saturday while talking about an alliance with Sena.

“In Pune, the Sena have two Members of Parliam-ent. If they come in alli-ance with us, we will send their people to Delhi. Oth-erwise, the BJP is capable enough of sending its people,” Mr Fadnavis said.

Surprisingly, this tone was different from Mr Fadnavis’ recent interviews given to various media houses on the eve of completion of his fourth year in government.

Mr Fadnavis had said that the Sena would eventually join hands with the BJP, as it knows division of votes could hurt both parties. Sources claim that this change in tone has come at the behest of the BJP’s central leadership, and state party chief Raosaheb Danve will take a call on an alliance.

“Alliance talks with Sena has been pending for a long time. Our leadership wants to get a clear picture before the results of five Assembly polls are announced, hence now it is asking the state unit to speed up,” said a senior BJP leader who is aware about the electoral pros-pects of the party in the state.

In a recent public appeal to the Sena, senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil had said, “A decision on the chief minister’s post will be taken once the elections are over. The Sena should join hands with the BJP to keep the Hindutva votes intact.”

Mr Patil’s statement was interpreted an indication that the Sena is only focusing on the chief minister’s post and seat sharing for the Assembly.

“It is being said that the deadlock in Sena-BJP talks is over the chief minister’s post. That’s why Mr Fadnavis might have sharpened his position on the alliance in Pune,” said a Cabinet minister.