Learn lessons from Assembly bypolls: Shiv Sena to BJP

The Sena and the BJP are yet to arrive at a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Assembly polls

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got an unexpected jolt in the Assembly byelections in Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, the Shiv Sena has taunted its coalition partner that elections cannot be won by just waving in air.

The arithmatic in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections is different, and there is an urgent need to learn lesson from the loss in the-elections, the Shiv Sena gave a piece of advice to BJP in its mouthpiece Saamna. The Sena also emphasised the need for the BJP-led coalition to take the results of the bypolls seriously by quickly taking corrective measures.

The Shiv Sena said: “Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar were criticised for their grand alliance, but the same alliance of snake and scorpion has won six seats in Bihar. This needs to be accepted. Barely three months after the general elections, a different trend is witnessed. This needs to be examined seriously.”

In view of the outcome of the bypolls, it has become imperative for the Shiv Sena and the BJP to work hard in the ensuing Maharashtra Assembly polls, slated for October.

Voters are in favour of a change in Maharashtra, but the elections cannot be win just like that. The people overwhelmingly voted for Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls, but it needs to be understood that the general elections and the Assembly elections are fought on completely different arithmatic. Therefore, time is to strive for the victory of the coalition in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

The Shiv Sena targeting its partner BJP is obvious as the former is not willing to give more than 119 seats to the latter, and is least interested to leave its big brother role in Maharashtra assembly poll. However, BJP, which won 23 Lok Sabha seats, is making a strong case to tweak the 2009 Assembly poll seat sharing arrangement. Now, BJP wants 144 seats and has indicated it will claim the chief minister’s post.

Shiv Sena’s outburst comes at a time when talks with BJP and other Maha Yuti (grand alliance) partners, including Swabhimnai Shetkari Sanghatana, Republican Party of India, Rashtriya Samaj Party and Shiv Sangram, over seat sharing are progressing at a snail’s pace. Shiv Sena, which contested 169 seats in 2009 Assembly polls, is yet to arrive at an understanding with the BJP, which had contested 119 seats last time.

Shiv Sena has been repeatedly declaring that its chief, Uddhav Thackeray, will become the chief minister after the Assembly polls. BJP has, however, countered it saying the chief minister will be decided after the Assembly election result, as the priority is to defeat the 15-year Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra.

To add to the confusion, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has threatened to quit the Maha Yuti if it did not get at least 15 seats. Republican Party of India is pressing for 20 seats while the Shiv Sangram and the Rashtriya Samaj Party are batting for 15 to 20 seats each.