Shubhangi Khapre

Even Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seemed a little surprised that he and his two new-found allies, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), had managed to achieve what they had.

Although Khadse did not directly name party leaders at the Centre or state, his ire was directed against the style of functioning in the organisation, and the decision to form a government with NCP leader Ajit Pawar.

The euphoria among the cadre after Fadnavis had taken oath as the CM on Saturday has faded, with the party BJP headquarters wearing a deserted look.

Sources said the “situation was such” that the leaders, who met after the Supreme Court direction for a floor test, had to take a decision asking Fadnavis to resign.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari Tuesday night invited Uddhav Thackeray to take the oath of office and secrecy at 6.40 pm on Thursday at the Shivaji Park in Dadar after he received a letter from the Maha Vikas Aghadi which stated it had the support of 166 MLAs.

The BJP, the single largest party with 105 MLAs, requires the support of 40 more MLAs to get to a simple majority of 145 in the 288-member state Assembly.

BJP national president Amit Shah put on the job his trusted lieutenant Bhupender Yadav, the party general secretary who was in-charge of elections in Maharashtra.

Ties with BJP have been strained. But is that what explains the Shiv Sena going for broke in Maharashtra? Or is it part of the churning within the party, seeking to expand its base and in midst of a generation change, seven years after Bal Thackeray’s death? The Indian Express report on a new Maharashtra power balance

Sources in the BJP said the only possibility of Maharashtra getting a government now is if the three other main parties — the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress — come together.

Hours after caretaker Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to say that he doesn’t have the numbers to stake a claim, BJP leaders said the move will send a positive message to the cadre as well as the voters.

This was the first time Fadnavis and Thackeray elaborated about their differences in public. They did not, however, rule out joining hands in the coming days. But both also put the onus of taking forward negotiations for government formation on each other.

The BJP believes if a government is not formed, the Sena will have to explain to the people why it failed to honour the public mandate.

In its assessment of the extent of damage, the state agriculture department has said that over 54.22 lakh hectares have been hit by heavy rain, with the eight districts of Marathwada reporting damage across over 22.71 lakh hectares.

The BJP, according to sources, is not ruling out conceding 13-15 ministerial posts to the Sena. This will leave the BJP with 27-29 posts.

With Sena stuck on its demand for a 50:50 power sharing formula and the Chief Minister’s post, the alliance partners are yet to formally stake claim to form the government.

“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has indicated that the party is willing to concede the Deputy Chief Minister’s post to the Shiv Sena,” said a highly placed source in the BJP here.

The party’s performance in urban areas like Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati, Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara (with the exception of Mumbai where the BJP won 16 out of the total 36 seats) is being attributed to voters’ rejection of the national plank — Article 370 — in the Assembly polls.

While the party feels reforms undertaken in the agriculture sector, primarily the state government’s flagship Jalyukt Shivar project, yielded positive results in the rural belt, its performance in urban areas is being attributed to voters’ rejection of the “national plank” — Article 370 — in some pockets.

Indicating that the result was below his hope to cross the halfway mark, Fadnavis invoked the example of a hardworking student. “We prepared for merit (an entry in the top-ranking list). But ended with first class results,” he said.