Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s challenge to the BJP to break off its alliance with the party ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections has been dismissed by the ruling party in New Delhi.
Senior BJP office-bearers told The Hindu that Mr. Thackeray’s statement was “expected” as the latter had to “address his own constituency”. “Break the alliance and see our surgical strike,” Mr. Thackeray had declared at the Shiv Sena’s Vijayadashami rally in Mumbai on Tuesday.
“We are prepared to go it alone, if our demands for a larger share of seats are not met,” said a senior leader in the know of the developments. “We are in government in the State, so we are not the ones who walk out,” said the leader. “It is for the Shiv Sena to decide whether they want a more equitable distribution of seats for the BMC polls.” Out of a total of 227 wards in BMC, the Sena had contested in 135 in 2012 and won 75. The BJP, which fought as part of the Mahayuthi or alliance with the Sena, had contested in 60 seats and won 31. “We want a relook at the arrangements and want at least ninety seats,” said a senior leader.
The tug of war in Mumbai has been on since the BJP broke its oldest alliance, went into the Maharashtra Assembly polls alone and formed the government (subsequently supported by the Shiv Sena in 2014).
“Even then, if the Sena had conceded three seats that were important to us, they would still have been the elder brother in the alliance. They didn’t and the results are there for everyone to see,” said the source.
“We hope it won’t come to that, but we are prepared to go it alone,” he said.