New Delhi: The political tussle in Maharashtra over power-sharing has divided Shiv Sena into two groups, sources said on Thursday. One group is in favour of ending the deadlock now and forming a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while the other is adamant on the 50:50 formula.
Notably, Shiv Sena and BJP, who fought the Maharashtra Assembly election in alliance, are locked in a bitter fight with each other over seat-sharing, which has, therefore, delayed the formation of a new government in the state. Shiv Sena is adamant of having a coalition government under 50:50 formula, according to which both the parties will have a chief minister for 2.5 years each. However, BJP, the single-largest party in Maharashtra, has made it clear that the government will be theirs and Devendra Fadnavis will be the CM for the next five years.
Amid the tussle, the BJP and Shiv Sena are looking for outside support to stake claim to form government.
Sources on Thursday informed that the Shiv Sena group which wants to iron out the differences, is firstly of the belief that a government without BJP will be "unstable" and secondly, it will be difficult for the party to explain to people, especially in the rural areas, why they ended their alliance.
They said that the people's mandate is for the saffron alliance (BJP+Shiv Sena) and hence, ending the partnership would be difficult.
A BJP delegation is set to meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari later on Thursday to discuss the current political scenario in the state. However, according to sources, they will not stake claim to form a government. Fadnavis will not be a part of the delegation despite being elected as BJP Legislative Party leader in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is also expected to chair a meeting with top party leaders to chalk out further strategies.
The BJP won 105 seats in the election while the Shiv Sena got 56 seats in 288-member Assembly.
