BJP, Shiv Sena make last-ditch effort to save alliance

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena were on Sunday trying to make last ditch efforts to salvage their alliance in Maharashtra for the upcoming Assembly polls after the Uddhav Thackeray's final offer of giving 119 seats to the coalition partner was rejected.

Hours after Uddhav Thackeray's tough talk on seat-sharing and that Sena cannot give beyond 119 seats, BJP told its old alliance partner that it was the duty of both the parties to continue the tie-up and sort out issues instead of going through the media, in remarks directed at the Sena chief.

Squabbling over seat-sharing showed no signs of resolution during the day with the BJP saying there was "nothing new" in Shiv Sena's final offer to give it 119 seats and hoped it can be mutually settled.

In Mumbai, Shiv Sena made it clear that it won't make any more concession for BJP, offering to cede it only 119 out of the total 288 seats in Maharashtra Assembly for the next month's polls, and said this was "the final attempt" to break the logjam over seat-sharing.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had backed him in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

"Today I am making a final attempt to ensure that the Mahayuti (grand alliance of opposition parties) stays intact. Sena had initially asked for 160 seats. But now we are ready to part with nine seats. Shiv Sena will fight on 151 seats, leaving 119 seats for BJP. The remaining 18 seats will be given to our allies," he said.

Suggesting a way out to end the standoff, BJP leaders of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly and Legislative Council Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde said here the party wants Sena to re-negotiate on such seats that they never won in the last 25 years, so that they are not given to the NCP-Congress alliance on a platter in the upcoming polls.

"There is nothing new in the latest Shiv Sena offer as BJP has been contesting 119 seats ever since the alliance came into being. We want the alliance to continue. It is the duty of both Shiv Sena and BJP to maintain the alliance.

"We have 25 year-old ties and seat-sharing issue can be sorted out mutually through face to face talks and not through media (TV)," Tawde told reporters in a hurriedly convened press conference.

Khadse said, "Shiv Sena has been losing on 35 seats while we have been losing on 19, if these were to be re allocated then we would all benefit instead of these seats going automatically to Congress-NCP alliance."

"Many such seats had been lost by narrow margin in the previous elections. That was the thought and mindset behind the proposal for the 135 seats," he said.

However, the BJP leaders also said they were ready to accept 130 seats --five seats down from its earlier demand.

Late in the evening, both BJP and Sena leaders said, "the process is still underway to keep our alliance intact".

Khadse said it is the time for Shiv Sena to make "some sacrifices" as BJP has been making "sacrifices" in the past for winning the elections and saving the alliance.

He cited the example of BJP giving six more Lok Sabha seats to Shiv Sena in the recent elections.  

"This has resulted in BJP contesting on 26 seats, down from 32 it contested in the past."

Though there is pressure from the cadres from the state to go it alone in the polls, the BJP wants to continue with the alliance, Khadse said.

Asked if time was running out for further negotiations, Tawde said we can talk during 24 to 48 hours.

Maharashtra core group of BJP was huddled together at the party head-quarters since morning holding discussions on the issue of seat-sharing with Shiv Sena. Party Chief Amit Shah was also present at the meeting.

A tough-talking Thackeray while addressing his party workers this morning said, "I cannot go any further" on conceding more seats to BJP.

"Maharashtra will be the number one state in the country if Sena comes to power. I want power and I will take it at any cost. But this power is to give Maharashtra something and not to take away, like other parties do," he said.

"Everyone knows how terrible the situation was when the Godhra riots took place. Everyone was saying that Modi should be immediately removed from the Gujarat CM's post. At that time, it was only Balasaheb who told L K Advani that Modi should stay on as he pursues the Hindutva ideology," he said.