The possibility of a minority government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra is gaining traction even as a desperate Shiv Sena seeks a deal on “respectable terms.” For the first time, senior State leaders on Monday openly said they would prefer a minority government than support with strings attached.
“We can stake claim with our 122 MLAs and Independents and form a minority government. We are confident of proving our majority on the floor of the House,” said senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has already offered unconditional outside support to a BJP government, declared it would abstain from a future trust vote. “We want to see a stable government in Maharashtra,” NCP chief Sharad Pawar told The Hindu.
The BJP has 122 MLAs including an ally. It claims to have the backing of 12 Independents and small parties, taking the number to 134, ten short of a simple majority. If the NCP’s 41 MLAs abstain, the size of the Assembly will be reduced to 247, and the BJP will have the majority.
The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, made a desperate bid for an alliance through its newspaper Saamna and backchannel negotiations are still ongoing. Party MP Sanjay Raut asked: “If Nawaz Sharif and Modi could talk, why not the BJP and the Sena?”
Mr. Khadse, however, maintained: “Most of our party workers do not want an alliance with the Shiv Sena. The bitterness of their campaign against us has not faded.”
Meanwhile, the party’s legislators will elect the new Chief Minister on Tuesday in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior party leader J.P. Nadda. State BJP chief Devendra Fadnavis remains the front runner.
