Mumbai: Three months ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls, on the occasion of its 53rd foundation day, the Shiv Sena sought to quell any silent bickering with ally BJP about the CM’s post or seat-sharing by sending two strong messages at once.
While party mouthpiece Saamana carried an editorial insisting there will be a Sena CM in the next term, incumbent CM Devendra Fadnavis was invited to attend the foundation day event to spread the message that leadership of both parties were on the same page regarding modalities of the alliance.
Fadnavis, who is credited with being the troubleshooter in this alliance, will speak at the foundation day event along with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
“We have an alliance with the BJP but the Shiv Sena is also an independent party. It is going forward with determination to paint the Vidhan Sabha saffron and have a Shiv Sena CM at the party’s 54th foundation day celebrations next year,” the Saamana editorial said.
Earlier this month, BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had kicked-off a war of words with Sena cadres when he insisted that the next CM will be a BJP leader if the alliance wins the assembly elections.
Yuva Sena functionary Varun Sardesai had then tweeted saying BJP president Amit Shah and Uddhav had decided that both parties will share the CM’s post for 2.5 years on a rotational basis and other people should not spoil this alliance for their “personal gain”.
“When Shah and Fadnavis met (Uddhav) Thackeray some time ago, they had made some commitments behind closed doors. Nobody besides them knows what these commitments are,” said a senior Shiv Sena functionary, who did not wish to be named.
“We don’t know about BJP leaders, but there is no confusion among the Sena cadre. Even if there are doubts, CM Fadnavis addressing shiv sainiks on the bright future of the Sena-BJP alliance should dispel those,” the functionary added.
“Decisions on the posts of CM, deputy CM and others will be taken in consultation with (Uddhav) Thackeray saheb. We do not have to worry about anything. CM Fadnavis speaking at our foundation day Wednesday will mean the Shiv Sena has his and his party’s best wishes,” said another Mumbai-based Shiv Sena leader on condition of anonymity.
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Fadnavis-Thackeray friendship
Late Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s good personal relations with leaders from across parties is well-known and many among them, including BJP’s Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde, former CMs Sharad Pawar and Vasantdada Patil and even Communist leader S.A. Dange, have been invited to speak on Shiv Sena platforms in the past.
Uddhav’s invitation to Fadnavis is seen as significant as it is perhaps the first time that a leader of another party has been called to speak at the Shiv Sena foundation day. The gesture is also reminiscent of the strong personal relations that Thackeray senior had with BJP leaders.
Fadnavis and Uddhav have always maintained a strong working relationship, even when the alliance went through turbulent times for nearly four years between 2014 and 2019.
Fadnavis had always kept back channel talks with Uddhav alive. Even when his political stance, throughout his term as the Maharashtra CM, has been centred on demonstrating BJP’s strength to the Shiv Sena, he never antagonised the alliance beyond a point.
When both parties decided to fight solo in the 2017 polls to the Mumbai civic body, which is traditionally a Shiv Sena turf, Fadnavis had steered BJP to a neck-and-neck contest and ended with only two corporators short of Sena’s tally.
Fadnavis, however, chose to take a backseat and relinquish the party’s claim to mayorship and the post of an opposition leader. Instead, he said BJP corporators will work together with the Shiv Sena.
Uddhav and Fadnavis have frequently praised each other even when relations between both parties had soured. Months before the Mumbai civic polls, in July 2016, Fadnavis had called Uddhav a “true friend with logical thinking as his biggest asset”. In the same month, Uddhav, in an interview published in the party mouthpiece, said communication with the current BJP leadership had broken down but he enjoyed a good rapport with Fadnavis.
“Compared to when we fought the Lok Sabha and assembly elections five years ago, the alliance is much stronger today. Uddhav and Fadnavis share a good relationship that reminds the old party cadre of the early years of their alliance when the senior leadership of both parties had a strong understanding,” a Sena leader said.