The BJP Parliamentary Board on Saturday met here “informally” after a meeting of the Central Election Committee and discussed the seat-sharing imbroglio with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Several members are common to both the panels.
“The party wants the alliance to continue but with mutual agreement and respect,” informed sources said.
The Committee is meeting on Sunday to finalise the list of candidates for the October 15 polls in Maharashtra.
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Before that, Leader of the BJP core group Om Mathur and general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Rajiv Pratap Rudy are slated to meet Shiv Sena chief Udhav Thackrey on Saturday night.
PTI adds:
The Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinod Tawde of the BJP said the Shiv Sena has proposed to contest 155 seats, leaving 125 for the BJP, while the remaining of State’s 288 seats would go to the smaller allies. “This is unacceptable to us,” Mr. Tawde, said.
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September 27, 2014 is the last day for filing of nominations for the October 15 polls.
“There will be a clarity on the alliance issue in the next 24 hours,” Mr. Tawde said.
After days of frosty silence, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had on Friday night sent his 24-year-old son Aditya Thackeray and senior leader Subhash Desai for talks with the BJP’s Maharashtra election in-charge O.P. Mathur and then sent a seat-sharing formula to the ally.
State BJP core committee members on Saturday considered the proposal holding two rounds of meetings where Mr. Mathur and party general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Rajiv Pratap Rudy were present. Mr. Subhash Desai also held talks with State BJP president Devendra Fadnavis.
The Shiv Sena has, meanwhile, said a decision on the alliance may be taken on Sunday.
“Uddhavji has been authorised by the party to take a call on the alliance. Shiv Sena executive committee is meeting tomorrow and an announcement is likely to be made,” Sena spokesman and MP Sanjay Raut said.
Mr. Tawde also said BJP president Amit Shah wants the alliance to continue.
“I spoke to Uddhav Thackeray yesterday. Today, Fadnavis and Desai met. BJP president Amit Shah is also insisting that the alliance should remain,” Mr. Tawde said.
“We are doing all we can to keep the alliance intact. It is a bond of 25 years,” Mr. Tawde said, adding “We feel that it should not break over issues like which party gets how many seats and which leader becomes the Chief Minister.”
Mr. Tawde said the BJP was stressing on discussing the 59 seats the Shiv Sena and 19 seats the BJP had contested but did not win in the last five elections. “There needs to be a restructuring so the party which can win these seats should field its candidate there,” he said.
“Our aim is that we should win at least 200 of the 288 seats to give 11.88 crore people of Maharashtra a progressive government,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Sena leader Anil Desai insisted there is no threat to the alliance between the two parties which “is going to stay“.
“We are aware of the fact that the ‘Mahayuti’ is very important for Maharashtra. The alliance between us is definitely going to stay. More than the offer (of seats), alliance is important. Uddhavji will announce his decision within 24 hours,” he told reporters after meeting the Sena chief.
“Media reports that our alliance will break is a fiction. We are only working out the finer points before we announce our seat-sharing formula,” he said.