The Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena have suspended all discussions and negotiations over forming the next government in Maharashtra. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance comfortably won the recent Maharashtra assembly election. However, the parties have been squabbling over the chief minister's post with the Shiv Sena claiming the existence of a "50:50" deal under which the CM's post would be shared by the two parties for two-and-a-half-years each.
The Shiv Sena and BJP were expected to hold talks over power-sharing today. However, with the parties not seeing eye-to-eye, the talks have been put on hold. The discussions between Shiv Sena and the BJP may resume tomorrow.
Interestingly, the development of the talks between BJP and Shiv Sena being suspended came on the day chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that he would return as CM and suggested that there was no "50:50" deal between his BJP and the Sena. "I have no doubt that I will be the CM. There is no plan B or C. There is only plan A, and that will work," Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday.
The BJP and Shiv Sena have been fighting ever since the results of the Maharashtra assembly election were announced. Even though the alliance comfortably won a majority in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, nobody yet has formally staked claim to power.
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The Shiv Sena has been insisting that the BJP give it a written assurance that the chief minister's post will be rotated between the two parties. The BJP, on the other hand, has maintained that it had never promised to share the CM's post.
Speaking on Tuesday, CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "Shiv Sena may also want the CM's post for 5 years, wanting something and getting something are two different things. There was never any promise on CMs post in the 50:50 formula. They should come with demands, we will discuss those on merit when we sit for talks."