Alliance unsettles BJP workers

Insiders believe the party may see large-scale rebellion and some upsets in western Maharashtra and Marathwada owing tou00c2u00a0alliance

A large section of the Bharatiya Janata Party workers is upset with the pre-poll alliance that their bosses have entered into with the Shiv Sena. The arrangement would not benefit the BJP in the polls, and it might give rise to rebellion within the party, particularly in Assembly polls, believe some party members.

While it was the Sena to have criticised the BJP and vowed to fight the polls separately, the BJP will have more trouble coming their way, said a prominent party leader, requesting anonymity. The alliance announcement has dashed the hopes of people who have joined the BJP in the past four years, won seats, and expected to build their political careers, he added.

BJP may face brunt
Another leader said the disappointment among party workers might hamper the BJP more in regions like western Maharashtra and Marathwada where it has recently made inroads. The party has 21 MPs and 122 MLAs of which a large chunk comes from Vidarbha. In 2014, the party won MLAs from places where it hadn't won before though it fell short of a majority and took the Sena's help to form a stable government. The BJP is expected to share some of its 25 Lok Sabha seats with smaller allies. It will have to give a significant number of seats to allies in the Assembly polls as well, thus reducing its numbers.

The Sena is promised 23 Lok Sabha seats, including Palghar where the BJP has its sitting MP. The local unit is upset and many of its office-bearers have sent their resignation to the party bosses in protest of the decision. Similar incidents are expected in the Assembly elections. The BJP and Sena have decided to first allocate Assembly seats to their respective allies and split the remaining seats into two halves for sharing between them. The Sena does not have any such obligation of sharing seats with the allies because it has none so far.

All seems well within Sena
Sena workers, however, aren't too upset with the alliance since they think the party has got a good deal. The sainiks have found solace in the fact that the BJP has succumbed to the Sena president's pressure tactics. They have been given an impression that the party would get the CM's position if in a position to stake its claim or the Deputy CM's office. The Sena has also asked for a half of seats in the council of ministers as per the 1995 formula.

The BJP workers, however, see a flaw in the agreement because they feel the Sena doesn't deserve it. A BJP leader told mid-day that nothing was permanent in politics. "We may be in a weaker position now, but when we get stronger, we will apply the tricks that the Sena has used against us. We will tell the upset leaders and workers to hold on for a few months," he said.

Will deflate Sena, says Rane
BJP's associate member and Shiv Sena's bete-noire Narayan Rane is all set to put a spanner in his former party's electoral work. He said that he would ensure the defeat of Sena candidates in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Rane said he was confident of the alliance and termed the arrangement as a fallout of the Sena president's insecurity and selfish nature. "The Sena will not even win 10 Lok Sabha seats," he said. The BJP-sponsored Rajya Sabha member said he won't quit the house but has asked the BJP to discontinue him as the party's manifesto committee member because he would be drafting his outfit Swabhimani Paksha's manifesto.

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