The Shiv Sena has decided to boycott the swearing-in of the first Bharatiya Janata Party government of Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
Although 23 short of a majority, the BJP has kept its estranged ally on hold. The Sena was hoping to be included in the Ministry at the swearing-in with at least two Cabinet berths.
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However, the BJP made it clear that only its Ministers would be sworn in on Friday. Party general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy tweeted, “It seems unlikely that the Shiv Sena will be part of the government as of now.”
“If we are not being treated with respect, why should we attend the oath-taking ceremony?” asked Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut on Thursday.
Chief Minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis had telephoned Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to invite him for the ceremony, party sources said.
However, frustration within the Sena is building; a section of the party has demanded that they sit in the Opposition and vote against the trust vote on November 15. The party’s newspaper, Saamna, on Thursday questioned the legitimacy of a minority government.
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