No more alliance talk, Sena, BJP tell its leaders

CM Devendra Fadnavis last week attended the Shiv Senau00c3u0083u00c2u00a2u00c3u0082u00c2u0080u00c3u0082u00c2u0099s foundation day ceremony with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. FILE PIC

Owing to the confusion around the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance for state Assembly elections and the contradictory statements party members, legislators, ministers and leaders have been asked not to discuss the alliance issue and the sharing of CM's post with the media.

The gag order was issued jointly by CM Devendra Fadnavis and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray at a get-together of alliance legislators at Vidhan Bhavan's Central Hall on Monday. The media wasn't allowed to attend the meeting.

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The CM's post has become a rallying point for both parties that are going to the Assembly polls together in October this year. Recently, BJP ministers and some Sena leaders exchanged barbs saying that their respective parties were going to claim the CM's position after the polls.

Thackeray has made it public that he had, with former BJP president Amit Shah and CM Fadnavis, decided on sharing the CM's post. However, neither the BJP nor the CM have made their stand clear. They have directed party members to ensure the BJP gets maximum numbers to help them stake claim to the high office.

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The seat-sharing formula has also been decided, say the alliance partners but there is no clarity. A general understanding is that the two partners will contest 135 seats each and leave the remaining for their respective allies. There are 288 seats in the Assembly, which now has the BJP and Sena sitting in the treasury benches. The alliance was forged a month after Fadnavis formed his minority government in 2014.

The Sena and BJP joined hands for the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections and have decided to be together in the Assembly polls as well. The CM's post is the only bone of contention.

No escalation of differences

Sena and BJP have held meetings last week to discussed their target. The BJP's stand had enraged Thackeray who said on Saturday that some people were trying to spoil the alliance even before it went to polls together.

Fadnavis, on his part, had told a meeting of BJP a day after the Sena's conclave, that only inexperienced and childish people were speculating the outcome over CM's office. It wasn't clear if Fadnavis's barb was for his own people or the Sena leaders.

On Monday, the two leaders announced that the alliance was here to stay.

Also Read: Our bond is long-standing and here to stay: Fadnavis, Thackeray

Precautions are being taken to prevent any escalation of differences among leaders and workers of the alliance partners, said a BJP legislator who attended Monday's closed-door meeting.

288
Number of seats in state Assembly

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