BMC Polls to See Shiv Sena-BJP Fight as Seat-Sharing Talks Fail

Uddhav vows never to fight polls with the BJP, launches a scathing attack, but refuses to step out of the government

(Photo: Altered by Harsh Sahani/The Quint)

The waiting game is over. Shiv Sena has blinked first. At a rally in Mumbai, party chief Uddhav Thackeray announced that talks for a pre-poll alliance with the BJP have failed and that his party will fight all local polls, including the prestigious BMC in Mumbai, on its own.

The two parties held three rounds of talks, but failed to reach anywhere near consensus. After the third round, the BJP stuck to its demand of fighting 114 seats (out of 227), while Shiv Sena offered no more than 60.

It was said that Uddhav Thackeray would hold a round of discussion with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, but that never happened.

Uddhav said demanding 114 seats was an “insult” to Shiv Sena. He identified the BJP as his main enemy, calling it corrupt and criminal. He made an emotional appeal to Shiv Sainiks to defeat the BJP.

Shiv Sena wasted 25 years in this alliance. But now we won’t bow before anyone. I hereby announce a new, tough path for Shiv Sena. You too will have to walk with me. We won’t ally with anyone in Maharashtra and come to power on our own.

Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena Chief

This is a repeat of 2014 Assembly elections, when the seat-sharing talks had failed. The only difference was that the announcement was made by the BJP last time.

For BMC, both parties had kept their lists of 227 candidates ready and Uddhav made the announcement only a day before the last date for filing nomination papers. Chief Minister Fadnavis was quick to react. He said on Twitter,

“Transparency is our motto. Change will definitely happen, with those who join us and without those who leave us.”

While the CM, who generally tweets in English, chose to tweet in Marathi, Uddhav Thackeray is aggressively trying to raise local and emotional issues. He demanded that the bullock cart races in Maharashtra, which are banned by the Supreme Court, be resumed following a green signal to Jallikattu.

Although Uddhav Thackeray has said that the Shiv Sena won’t go into pre-poll alliances with the BJP, he has kept the door open for post-poll alliances. Shiv Sena also continues to share power with the BJP in Maharashtra as well as at the Centre. The real fight is now to prove who will emerge a major partner in the BMC. Voting will take place on 21 February in Mumbai and counting will be held on 23 February.

Also Read: Shiv Sena-BJP Pact Unlikely as Talks for BMC Polls Hit a Dead End