Tussle over CM post intensify between BJP, Sena

The tussle between the ruling saffron alliance partners— the BJP and the Shiv Sena— over the post of next chief minister of Maharashtra seems to be compounding.

Even as Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's son Aditya is on a state-wide Jan Ashirwad Yatra, where party cadres and a section of senior leaders are projecting him as the next chief minister, incumbent Devendra Fadnavis asserted that he would retain the top job after the polls and announced a state-wide Maha Janadesh Yatra next month.

The BJP-Sena will contest the September-October Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in alliance but very few are aware of the finer details like seat sharing and who would get the post of the chief minister if the alliance wins.

It is not yet known whether the party winning more seats will get the post or whether the BJP has offered the post to Sena or the two partners will share it for equal terms.

On Sunday, Fadnavis said: "As I had said earlier... I will come again (as chief minister)... I am the chief minister of BJP, Sena, RPI (alliance)."

The astute politician also went on to add that people will decide who would get the chief minister's post.

While the Sena leadership is preparing for Aditya to contest from Mumbai, Aditya on the other hand is trying to handle the issue diplomatically by saying: "These issues will be decided by Uddhav ji and the party."

In the 2014 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls when both the BJP and Sena contested separately, the BJP won 122 seats and the Shiv Sena 63.

Initially, the BJP formed government from indirect, unconditional support of the NCP and the Sena sat in Opposition.

But in just a month, Sena shifted to the Treasury benches.

The Opposition parties have slammed the BJP-Sena for fighting for the chief minister's post and ignoring the people.

"Neither Devendra Fadnavis nor Aaditya Thackeray have taken responsibility despite failing to tackle agrarian crisis," Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said.

"They have completely ignored the agrarian crisis and drought. While hundreds of farmers committed suicides in the first six months of 2019, no corrective steps have been taken," former chief minister Ashok Chavan said.