RATCHETING UP the poll pitch, BJP president Amit Shah has told the Maharashtra unit of the party to start preparations for the 2019 elections on a war-footing “with or without” an alliance with the Shiv Sena. Shah was addressing both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from Maharashtra at a meeting in New Delhi. The remarks clearly indicate that the party won’t bow down to pressure from the Sena for a pre-poll pact and rules out the Bihar model of seat-sharing formula, which the Sena has been pitching ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra. A senior MP, requesting anonymity, said, “Amit Shah said the BJP was keen on having a pre-poll alliance with the Shiv Sena for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. But if the alliance does not happen, the BJP should be well-prepared for going solo. The party president also underlined the fact that the BJP will not concede to the alliance partner’s unreasonable demands on seat-sharing.” Shah’s meeting with MPs from Maharashtra is part of an ongoing exercise undertaken by the central leadership to put the party in poll-mode. “The BJP president clearly indicated that based on the good governance of the Centre and state government, they would be able to better their electoral prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Maharashtra,” said another MP. Shah’s stern message to its alliance partner comes in the wake of growing attack by the Sena against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While explaining the BJP’s tough stand against the Sena, another party MP said, “It appears the central leadership is upset as the Sena is crossing the Laxman Rekha. Now, the general mood in the party is, the BJP should not surrender to Sena pressure.” According to a senior BJP functionary, “The Shiv Sena wants the BJP to concede more seats to them for the 2019 Assembly elections. Their argument is, the BJP should follow the Bihar alliance model in the Assembly elections.” According to a Sena leader, “The BJP should give them at least 155 seats out of 288 seats in the Assembly. In the Lok Sabha, they are ready for 23 seats out of 48 seats”. However, BJP poll managers believe Bihar and Maharashtra are different altogether and cannot be compared. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, for 48 seats in the state, BJP contested 24 and won 23. The Sena contested 22 and won 18. One seat each was given to smaller alliance partners RPI, Swabhimani Shetkari Party and Rashtriya Samaj Party. Of these Swabhimani Shetkari Party won one seat. However, in the Assembly elections for 288 seats held in October 2014, the Sena and BJP contested separately. The BJP won 122 seats and Sena 63. The BJP, which formed the government, got support from the Sena in a post-poll pact.
