No denying issues in saffron pact: CM

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others pay tributes to Rashtra Sant Tukdoji Maharaj during the 'Maha Janadesh Yatra' at Amravati, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Following speculations about some unrest in the saffron camp, CM Devendra Fadnavis has finally acknowledged it. The BJP and Shiv Sena, who have vowed to a pre-poll alliance, have developed issues over the seat-sharing deal over which they had briefly split ahead of the 2014 Assembly polls too. "There's no denying the fact that there are issues," Fadnavis told a news conference in Wardha near Nagpur on Friday. "Like in Vidarbha, we (BJP) won most of the seats last time while our alliance partner (Sena) won most of the seats in Konkan. But we have decided to contest the polls together and are working out a solution for every problem," said Fadnavis.

The two parties had then won the highest (BJP: 122) and second-highest (Sena: 63) number of seats in the house of 288. The sharing has become a tricky issue again where neither the Sena nor BJP would vacate their winning seats. The entry of prospective winners from the Opposition into the BJP and Shiv Sena has further made things complicated. Speculations that the ruling parties would yet again part ways before the elections and come together later have been rejected by the CM, who has been given absolute powers by the BJP high command to take alliance decisions. Sena has been saying that the seat-sharing and CM's post were decided during the Lok Sabha alliance talks but the BJP hasn't put any formula on record even as pressure within the party is growing for parting ways.

Fadnavis at the yatra

Two parties, two yatras

Sources said Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrakant Patil are negotiating with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray even when the CM is on a state-wide campaign tour MahaJanadesh Yatra. Thackeray's son Aaditya also has taken up a similar programme. In fact, the CM appealed to Sena ministers and legislators to participate in his yatra but since the Sena scion has organised his own, the Sena workers will give the CM's yatra a miss. Fadnavis said that his yatra was a BJP event. "They (Sena) are also undertaking a yatra," he said referring to the Jan Ashirwad Yatra of Aaditya Thackeray. But he said the ruling alliance was getting a massive response. "We will get a historic verdict in October." Commenting on the admission of turncoats, the CM said the BJP could accommodate only quality leaders. "Some have joined and many more are interested to join us. There is no space for all to come in," he said.

288
Total no. of Assembly seats

122
No. of seats BJP won in 2014

63
No. of seats Sena won in 2014

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