Mumbai: Shiv Sena, BJP spar as Nitish stays CM with fewer seats

In Saamana editorial, Sena revisits "betrayal" by its then ally, the BJP, following Maharashtra polls

THE Bihar Assembly election results put the Bharatiya Janata Party and its frenemy Shiv Sena in a confronting position once again, this time over the allotment of the chief minister's office to an ally. Suggesting that Bihar could have gone the Maharashtra way, the Sena claimed credit for Nitish Kumar retaining the CM throne even though his party won fewer seats than its ally, the BJP.

The Sena mouthpiece, Saamana, in an editorial on Wednesday stated that the saffron alliance in Maharashtra went kaput last year, creating a new dimension to the state's politics by sending the BJP, the single largest party, in the opposition because it broke a promise that the Sena would get the CM's post even if it won fewer seats than its ally.

Also Read: Dalai Lama congratulates Nitish Kumar on Bihar elections win

"Amit Shah had declared that Nitish will be the CM even if he gets fewer seats than the BJP. The Sena was also given the same promise, but when the word wasn't kept the entire Mahabharata happened [the post-election three-party MVA]. And [now], if the BJP makes Nitish the CM, then the credit should go to the Shiv Sena," the editorial read. The real victory belonged to RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, it added. "We don't accept that Tejashwi is defeated because losing the polls doesn't alone define the loss. Increasing the tally by fixing seats can't be a victory."

Sena a liar: Fadnavis

BJP's Bihar poll in-charge and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said the Sena was telling blatant lies because Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray, had declared him the next CM.

"In a rally attended by Uddhav Thackeray, Modiji had declared that the alliance was fighting elections under the leadership of Fadnavis who will also be the next CM. Thackeray endorsed the PM's decision then, but he changed his mind when he got a whiff of power," the BJP leader said.

Claiming that anti-NDA parties were desperately trying to create a rift between the BJP and Nitish, Fadnavis said their alliance in Bihar was most natural and worked fine for the PM's vision of development, which actually attracted the voters.

Also Read: Bihar Election Results: JD(U) wins Hilsa seat by just 12 votes

He said Sena doesn't stop bragging about anything, even the defeat. "Sena said it would fight 50 seats in Bihar and Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and other leaders would campaign. See what has happened to the Sena that contested only 23 seats. It has broken all records of getting votes less than NOTA. They should introspect rather than giving advice to others," he said, adding that the Sena has lost the plot and it would suffer the consequences of being in the company of parties like the Congress.

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