The Shiv Sena's threat to walk out of Naharashtra government does not seem to have affected the BJP much. In fact, it is business as usual for Devendra Fadnavis government and the crisis managers at the state BJP are dismissing Shiv Sena's ultimatum with smug confidence.
BJP's confidence stems from developments which indicate that at least 20to 25 Shiv Sena legislators are not keen that their party walks out of the alliance. The BJP is aware that this view was expressed on Monday at the Shiv Sena's meeting held at Matoshree. The legislators, many of who are first timers, feel that they just don't have enough money power to fight an early assembly poll caused by Sena walking out of the government.
There is a certain amount of truth in it. But what is even more apparent is that BJP is not averse to working on a certain number of Sena legislators in order to woo them into party's fold. Take the case of Loha legislator Pratap Patil Chikhlikar. Chikhlikar is a veteran player in Marathwada politics. He is a Congressman now in Shiv Sena essentially because he can not see eye to eye with state Congress president Ashok Chavan. Chikhlikar is originally a Vilasrao Deshmukh loyalist. After Deshmukh's death, he joined the NCP briefly and then joined Shiv Sena as it promised him a ticket in 2014 assembly elections. He won, thanks to his own ground network and the prevalent anti-Congress-NCP mood among voters in Maharashtra. Chikhalikar is often seen on BJP platform these days as he has to fight Ashok Chavan to survive in politics.
Another case being cited is that of Tukaram Kate, Shiv Sena legislator from Mumbai. Kate was upset with Sena ministers as they failed to sanction some works in his constituency. So he approached his BJP friends and was taken to CM who immediately assured him that all the issues related to works in his constituency would be sorted out. It won't come as a surprise if Kate emerges as BJP candidate from the same constituency that he currently represents as Shiv Sena legislator. "You should ask Chikhilkar and Kate why they are not happy in Shiv Sena, why are you asking us," said a BJP leader.
A BJP leader told THE WEEK that this was the nth time that Sena was giving an ultimatum to the BJP. "We are not worried at all. These are all empty threats, we have even lost the count," he said requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak on the sensitive issue of Sena-BJP ties.
Another source in the saffron party pointed out that last year, Sena ministers made tall claims that they were carrying their resignation letters with them all the time. "We have not seen a single resignation letter so far. Also, you must remember that when Sena-BJP alliance officially broke before 2014 assembly elections, Sena's Anant Geeta continued to remain as a union minister. Sena did not ask him to resign despite the fact that Eknath Shinde had been elected as leader of opposition in Maharashtra in the immediate aftermath of assembly polls," he said.
Madhav Bhandari, BJP's chief spokesperson for Maharashtra, said they have not received any ultimatum from Shiv Sena. "We are reading about this only in media, and we do not react to everything that appears in media," he said.
