New Delhi: With the Shiv Sena acting tough on government formation in Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mulling an idea of two deputy Chief Ministers to accommodate the ally as well as take care of the Maratha sentiment.
“Considering the present situation in the state, the party (BJP) is planning to have two deputy Chief Ministers – one from the Sena and another, a Maratha belonging to the BJP,” a senior saffron party functionary told this agency, Thursday.
The BJP is facing trouble from the Sena over formation of Maharashtra government even a week after the Assembly election results. The Shiv Sena is demanding rotation of Chief Ministership after two-and-a-half years.
The BJP and the Sena contested the Assembly polls together. The BJP won 104 seats and the Shiv Sena 56 seats in the 288-member House.
Mounting pressure on the BJP, the Shiv Sena elected Eknath Shinde, a Maratha, as the legislature party leader. It’s being seen by the BJP as the Sena’s readiness to accept the deputy Chief Minister’s post, and keep Aaditya Thackeray, son of chief Uddhav Thackeray, for a bigger future role.
Ever since the Assembly poll results, Uddhav Thackeray has been insisting on a 50-50 formula on power-sharing as was ‘agreed upon’ between him, BJP president Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis before the elections.
The Sena has been projecting Aaditya Thackeray, a first-time MLA, as the party’s candidate for the Chief Minister’s post. Several posters have come up in this city in favour of Aaditya as the chief ministerial candidate.
Aaditya told the media Thursday after meeting Governor BS Koshiyari that delay in government formation was not good.
IANS
BJP, Chief Ministers, Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray
