BJP has the power of 2

A couple more seats than Shiv Sena has given them upper hand in race for post of Oppn leader

The BJP only won 46 of the 288 state Assembly seats this time. Nevertheless, it is two more than its ally Shiv Sena's tally of 44 seats.

This has led to a face off over the seat of Leader of the Opposition between the two allies.

As a rule, the post goes to the party with the maximum seats in the Opposition. The BJP has more seats than Sena in both houses, which is a first.

The Sena, however, is not willing to let go of the post for nothing. The party has demanded the chair of the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, which now rests with the BJP.

The BJP for its part is in no mood to compromise. They want both the seats. "Enough is enough. We'll pressure our leaders and not compromise," said a BJP leader.

BJP Spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, "The Leader of the Opposition is decided on the basis of the strength of the party.

So, there should not be any confusion on the issue. If there is an issue, it needs to be discussed in the intra-party forums and not in the media."

Sena Spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said, "If there are issues, they can always be thrashed out. This issue will be taken care of by the party supremos."

Interestingly, the Sena had lost its majority after Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray quit the party in 2005 and 2006, respectively. But they did not yield the post of Opposition leader to the BJP.

Hopeful

Sources say BJP leader Eknath Khadse hopes to bag the post of Opposition Leader.