After Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's declaration that there would be no future alliances with the BJP, political circles are abuzz with rumours that Thackeray might ask him Union and Maharashtra ministers to quit
Devendra Fadnavis
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Finally the Shiv Sena has broken decades-old alliance with the BJP in the BMC, and it will not team up with the ruling party in the State and Centre in other civic and ZP polls. But will the Sena, which spit venom against the BJP on Republic Day, pull out of the governments?
Unmindful of the Sena's stance, CM Devendra Fadnavis, who has been consistent in saying that the Sena should come along, said that his government is stable and would be stable in any circumstances.
After Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's declaration that there would be no future alliances with the BJP, political circles are abuzz with a rumour that Thackeray might ask him Union and Maharashtra ministers to quit. The Opposition parties too are mocking the Sena for severing ties with the BJP, and yet stick in power in association with the BJP.
When asked by mid-day on Thursday night, Fadnavis made a meaningful suggestion. "The BJP government was stable, is stable and will be stable," he said, without elaborating much on the subject.
Sources close to the CM said the party was not bothered much about running a minority government even if the Sena pulled out. Fadnavis had taken over in October 2014 as the CM of a minority government -- he was at least 23 MLAs short of majority needed for making a government. The Sena had joined Fadnavis’ cabinet a month later. Meanwhile, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP had announced support to the BJP government from outside saying that it did not want immediate elections to affect the state.
Read Story: Shiv Sena snaps alliance with BJP in Maharashtra for civic polls
What gives the BJP a confidence is that the Sena has maintained that governance should not be mixed with politics. It was this sentiment that stopped the Sena to quit the governments even when it fought against the BJP in the Assembly, in the local self-government and civic polls. It is another matter that the BJP and Opposition calls this Sena's double standard and dares it to quit the governments whenever it takes on the BJP.
BJP's demand for transparency under attack
While attacking BJP on several counts, Thackeray told his party workers on Thursday that the BJP's demand for transparency was a sham. "If it is so concerned then it should invite opposition to the Cabinet meetings. The BJP wants transparency only in BMC, but what about having it governments?" he asked.
With a pact broken, the transparency tirade has set an agenda for the BJP. The Fadnavis-led campaigners will focus majorly on corruption in the BMC and assure to clean it up. The BJP's manifesto and publicity material will cover most of scams and irregularities in the BMC.
The nomination process of candidates started on Friday. Polling will be held on February 21.
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