New Delhi,October 26(HS)Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra were held the same day this year.This was common.The two states,however, have many things uncommon.
Take for instance,the political demand.While the Jananayak Janata Party or JJP is happy with deputy chief minister position in Haryana,the Shiv Sena is not in Maharashtra.It will accept nothing short of chief ministership.
The demand of the party is new,not the offer.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said in reply to a question before the Assembly elections that he would not oppose if this position was given to the party.
The Shiv Sena,he had added, had not made any such demand at that time. They had only discussed the seat sharing formula and an agreement was reached on seat-sharing.
In contrast,some leaders in the JPP had the top position in mind while discussing the support issue but did not press for it when the final rounds of talk were held.The party had not formed an alliance before the elections but agreed to support the BJP for ” development and political stability in the state”.
Leaders of the two parties have already met the governor and staked claim to form a new government in Haryana. The government formation in Maharashtra may be delayed because of the new demand.
Some leaders of the Shiv Sena claim that 50-50 formula was discussed before the elections and that the BJP had accepted it.It might have been discussed but ,in the light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the result day,it appears that the party had not agreed to make a Shiv Sena legislator chief minister after victory.
Modi had praised both Haryana CM Mohan Lal Khattar and Maharashtra chief Fadnavis and it was clear in this light that they would not be changed.
The BJP is well short of majority in Maharashtra,although it is the largest single party.Therefore,it has to take support from some other party or parties.The Congress which has been pushed behind NCP and Shiv Sena cannot back the BJP. The NCP which has 54 winners is the only other party that could help in this situation but it has decided to sit in the opposition.
Clearly,the Shiv Sena has put the BJP in a tight spot. Amit Shah,present home minister,has handled such situations well in the past.He may succeed again. How?When?There is no clear-cut answer to these two at the moment.
