Citing a recent court verdict, Shiv Sena on Saturday said, "Excessive lust leads to divorce" and asked the constituents of 'Mahayuti' alliance to exercise restraint while demanding extra share during seat allocation talks.
"Allies in the coalition must dream of a victory. For this, all parties must give up the lust for more seats. To say we will stay in the coalition only if we get 'so many seats' is not right," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said.
The remarks, coming ahead of the finalisation of seat sharing talks for the October 15 Maharashtra polls, are being considered a veiled criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party amid reports that the latter had sought more seats to contest this time around.
"We all want a change of regime. Even if someone has got fewer seats to contest, then too, they will get a proper share in government. But for that, one needs to come to power first," Sena said.
After winning 23 of the state's 48 seats in Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has stepped up demand to contest more seats in assembly polls. The Sena had won 18 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance, which has governed Maharashtra since 1999, won only six seats.
Openly expressing his desire to become the chief minister for the first time from a public platform, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray asked the electors to give him a chance and assured they would not regret.
He also sought to assert the pre-eminence of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra politics vis-à-vis its ally, saying the "face" that will rule the state in the event of the saffron alliance coming to power will be from "Shiv Sena only".
"I want the people to give me a chance and they will not be given a chance to complain," he said during an interaction organised by a private news channel.
The Shiv Sena president, in the same breath, said he was not dreaming of the chief minister's post, but will not shy away from responsibility. "It is for the people to decide if they trust me. They will decide whom they want as the face (chief minister). I am not hankering after any post but will not shy away from responsibility either," he said.
When asked if that 'face' will be from Shiv Sena, he said, "The face will be from Shiv Sena only."
Uddhav said questions were often raised about his leadership qualities, "but I am Balasaheb's (Bal Thackeray) son and will never shy away from responsibilities".
Asked about the delay in formalising a seat-sharing pact with the BJP, the Sena leader said, "There is no problem from my side."
"Talks with the BJP for seat sharing are on. The seats which we will not contest will go to BJP," he said, apparently asserting Shiv Sena's status of "senior partner" in the saffron coalition in Maharashtra despite dwindling strength.
"Every party wants to expand its base and decisions should be taken on basis of ground realities. Ours is a 25-year-old alliance, but it’s good if people remain within their limits," he said.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Uddhav said, people voted for a 'face' (Modi) for change and Shiv Sena's contribution in the victory in Maharashtra cannot be ignored. "Did the Modi wave show in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Orissa and West Bengal? It depends on alliance partners as well. Modi is the prime minister of our alliance," he said.
Image: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
