Even as the BJP elected Devendra Fadnavis as its legislature party leader on Tuesday, it kept its former ally, the Shiv Sena, waiting. Sources said the BJP’s central leadership wants Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to apologise for his earlier remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah. “The BJP-Sena alliance is a foregone conclusion. It is just a matter of time. But we want to convey our displeasure over their remarks against the Prime Minister and Amit Shah. They will have to apologise,” said a Union Minister. In the run-up to the polls, Thackeray had said the BJP’s star campaigners were like “Afzal Khan’s aulad”. Addressing a public rally at Tuljapur, he had said, “What are they up to? First Modi comes to campaign, then his entire cabinet team campaigns for votes in Maharashtra. They are like Afzal Khan’s aulad, trying to conquer this state.” Another issue that has hurt the BJP leadership is an editorial that appeared in Sena mouthpiece Saamna a day after the poll campaign ended. “The BJP ignored Sena after the Lok Sabha win. The Sena played a significant role, otherwise even Modi’s father would not have been able to win majority in the Lok Sabha polls,” it said. Sources said the BJP has conveyed to the Sena that it wants a public or private apology. The party also wants the Sena to declare its support without any terms and conditions. The BJP’s list of dos and don’ts form part of the back channel negotiations, which also include discussions on cabinet berths. Meanwhile, Fadnavis is set to be sworn in as the BJP’s first chief minister in Maharashtra at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. “We are not keen on having them (Sena) on board till the swearing-in ceremony on October 31,” said a BJP leader. “The talks between Sena and BJP are underway. We want to have Sena as our alliance partner,” said BJP general secretary J P Nadda. The BJP, which won 122 seats (one MLA has since died ), will have to prove its majority on the floor of the assembly before November 15. “The BJP believes Sena, as an alliance partner, would be better in the long run as compared to the NCP’s outside support. Any attempt to join forces with NCP would hurt the BJP’s image,” said a BJP source. Fadnavis himself had led the campaign against the NCP’s “tainted” ministers during the poll campaign. Moreover, the BJP managed to make inroads in western Maharashtra, which is known to be NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s bastion. Any softening of stand against the NCP at this juncture would disillusion its cadres in the area.
