As BJP’s tally dips in Maharashtra, Uddhav reminds it of ‘50-50’ formula

Read | BJP-Sena back, but shaken by Pawar, losses in Vidarbha and Marathwada

“We all know that when the alliance was forged before the Lok Sabha polls, 50:50 formula was decided. There is no need to hide it now. It was also decided that the seat-sharing ratio would be 144:144. BJP state president Chandrakant Patil then said that I should understand BJP’s problems in seat sharing. I understood their problems and accepted a smaller share of the seats. But if their problems are going to increase, then I can’t understand all their problems,” Thackeray told mediapersons at the Sena headquarters in Mumbai.

Maintaining that he needs to expand his party, he added: “So, all senior leaders from both parties will sit together and we will take a decision on the formula. Then, we will stake a claim on government formation.”

It was not a “warning” to the BJP, he said, but “just a reminder” of what had been discussed earlier.

Read | Haryana, Maha results exceptional as parties these days don’t retain power after 5 years: Modi

The Sena chief’s remarks came after the Assembly polls results showed that the BJP is set to win 105 seats, and the Sena 56. Both parties have won less number seats as compared to the last time. In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won 122 seats, while Sena won 63 after contesting the polls separately.

Thackeray indicated that he would not explore the possibility of forming a government without the BJP by seeking support from the Congress-NCP combine. “I am not in a hurry. I am not greedy for power and won’t do anything out of turn for power,” he said on Congress-NCP offering support for a Sena CM.

Explained | Sharad Pawar ‘magic’ paying off; NCP on course to do better than 2014

Sena leaders are confident that the party’s bargaining power has increased due to the fall in the BJP numbers, though its own tally of seats has fallen by seven seats from what it had won in 2014.

“The drop in the number of Sena seats happened either due to the rebellion by party workers or non-cooperation of BJP workers at many places. The results clearly showed that there was no alliance at the ground level despite attempts made by the top leaders of both parties,” said a senior Sena leader.

Another Sena leader said that the party faced anti-incumbency at a few places and also faced strong fight from the NCP in some seats.

“Some of our candidates faced the anti-incumbency. Also, change of candidates seems not to have worked in our favour,” said the leader, pointing out that people did not vote for defectors from Congress and NCP who had joined Sena ahead of the polls and were given tickets by the party.