The Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board will meet on Sunday evening and decide on government formation as it emerged the single-largest party in Maharashtra and looked set to capture power in Haryana.
All eyes are now on the meeting which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah as to the strategy it will adopt in Maharashtra -- whether to go with its old ally Shiv Sena or seek support from others including the Nationalist Congress Party.
Sources said that the Board will decide on the political situation arising in Maharashtra where the party is not getting an absolute majority after breaking its alliance with Sena and may have to seek support from others to form a government of its own.
“The BJP Parliamentary Board will meet this evening in the party headquarters to decide on further course of action and will assess the assembly poll results,” a senior BJP leader said.
The Parliamentary Board may also discuss on its chief ministerial candidates for both the states. However, a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party in both Haryana and Maharashtra will be held on Monday to elect their leader.
In Maharashtra, where the party may not get a majority, the BJP top brass will have to decide on whose support it will seek for government formation. “We will see the final results and then decide. Our top leaders will decide on the further action,” said a senior BJP leader.
Party leaders feel that BJP should not get trapped into the Shiv Sena fold once again.
They said that while the BJP is awaiting the final results and how many independents win in Maharashtra, because its choice is limited.
While some consider that Shiv Sena emerges as the natural choice for a tie-up again to form a government, the NCP could be the other option. The MNS has also not come out with adequate numbers for a tie-up.
Meanwhile, there was an atmosphere of celebration at the BJP headquarters at Ashok Road where workers danced and burst crackers ahead of Diwali on the party’s grand performance in the assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra.
Party leaders termed this victory as that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and his aggressive campaign in the two states, besides the organisation skills of BJP president Amit Shah.
Asked about the possibility of BJP going with Shiv Sena, Union minister Piyush Goyal said a Sena representative continued to be in the Union Cabinet till date.
A couple of days ago Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had also remarked that alliances and friendships do not disappear just like that. “There was nothing to attack (Sena). It was only seat adjustments that did not work,” he said when told that the BJP did not attack Sena during the campaign.
Asked about the possibility of tying up with NCP, Goyal said he did not see any reason for BJP to explore new partnership.
Meanwhile, the BJP virtually rejected the possibility of giving the chief minister’s post to Shiv Sena for forming a coalition government in Maharashtra, saying “people have given us the responsibility and the government will be led by us”.
“People have given us the responsibility and we will do whatever is needed to fulfil that responsibility. The government will be led by us,” BJP member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya said.
