Devendra Fadnavis will have to live with Sena pinpricks

According to highly placed sources both in the BJP and the Sena, Fadnavis and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray have reconciled to the fact that though the coalition will stay, the Sena, which is unwilling to shed control of the cash-rich BMC, will leave no stone unturned to make things tough for the BJP.

This could mean, they feel, the Sena may force the dominant partner BJP to concede to an alliance for the civic body elections and buy peace till 2019 when the government’s five-year term ends. Otherwise, the BJP will have to emerge stronger in the BMC polls, taming the Sena to continue in the government till the next assembly polls.

For the record, Fadnavis has often said the coalition would last the full term. At the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, Uddhav Thackeray had said there was no question of walking out of the government as the public mandate was for the BJP-Sena government. These repeated assurances aside, the simmering discontent within the BJP and the Sena shows no signs of ebbing. Sena’s aggression is being matched by the BJP too. MP Sanjay Raut and Industries Minister Subash Desai of the Sena have said a day would come soon when the party would emerge as the single largest party in Maharashtra.

The BJP (122) and the Shiv Sena (63) have 185 seats together, which is way above the half-way mark of 145 in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. The Congress has 42 seats and the NCP 41.

While the numbers may be comfortable for the BJP-Sena alliance, the power tussle for capturing local bodies will intensify ahead. According to Sena insiders, it has been tactically decided that Sena would allow a couple of ministers to speak out of turn if things do not go their way while not pulling any punches in attacking the BJP or its leaders through the party mouthpiece, Saamana.

“We have to realise our political compulsions. Today, only 10 Sena leaders are ministers in the Fadnavis government. To keep the cadre alive, we have to adopt a plank that will engage their services especially keeping the BMC elections in mind,” said a Sena MP.

The Sena has been in control of the country’s richest municipal corporation for the last 15 years. What is also interesting to note is that the BMC polls will also determine the future of the Sena youth wing leadership, with youth leader Aaditya Thackeray already crossing swords with Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on nightlife, LED lights and several civic issues in Mumbai.

On the other hand, Shelar and BJP’s senior minister Chandrakant Patil are all geared up to take on the Sena on the electoral arena. BJP’s political managers said it was going to be a tit for tat.

“If the Sena flexes its muscles or insults any of our leaders, it would not go unanswered,” said a senior BJP leader.