MUMBAI, OCT 4: With less than 72 hours left for counting of votes for state assembly polls, the countdown for the next government seems to have begun with top bureaucrats and even alliance leaders predicting a hung assembly, doubting Chief Minister Narayan Rane's claim of Sena-BJP making a clean sweep.``The Sena-BJP alliance will sweep the polls. Our position will be much better compared to the 1995 elections. Shiv Sena will get more seats than BJP. Sena supremo Bal Thackeray will decide the new Chief Minister,'' said Rane, harping on the alliance's official line.And while Rane is swearing by `personal assessment' to back his claim, privately, even some senior ministers in his cabinet are not sure of the alliance securing a clear majority and foresee a scenario where the Sena-BJP may have to take help of smaller groups to form the government.``I do not think that Sena-BJP will get a clear majority. It will have to take help of smaller groups like Janata Dal, Peasants and Workers Party or independents for forming the government,'' a senior leader said.Senior BJP leaders too feel that it will be difficult for the alliance to retain power. In fact, today, a section of the BJP cabinet members were heard saying that only last two days were left for the government and hence all the proposals should be cleared before the time's up. In another give-away of the alliance's discomfort, Health Minister Daulatrao Aher urged the Chief Minister at a public meeting at Pune to clear the proposals submitted by him in next two days, otherwise after the results, he would have to submit a fresh proposal to the new government.By and large, senior BJP leaders feel that the alliance is not in a position to cross the magic figure of 144 required for the formation of the government. ``I think, we will be around 120 to 130. If the independents come to our rescue, then only will we be able to form the government,'' a senior BJP Minister said.Top bureaucrats fear that in view of the intra-alliance dispute, Senba-BJP was not in a position to secure clear majority. ``We feel that the Sena-BJP alliance will secure 100 to 115 seats, while the Congress will be second with 90 seats and Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar will be relegated to the third position,'' a senior bureaucrat said.In the event the Sena-BJP alliance is unable to secure a clear majority, then there will be reorganisation of political parties, another bureaucrat remarked.``We will not be surprised if the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party form an alliance to form the government. Alternatively, if Sena secures less seats than BJP, then the later will not hesitate to allign with the NCP to form the government,'' the bureaucrat added.A senior police official said if BJP ditches the Shiv Sena, then it will have to pay a heavy price. ``Shiv Sena will not be a silent spectator to such tactics of the BJP. In any case, Thackeray has already made it clear that if BJP does so, he will give a fitting reply BJP,'' the police official added.
