Form Government with the BJP and become Chief Minister for a year: Athawale to Shiv Sena

Amid the speculations were being made of a possible Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition, the Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday stated that the Shiv Sena should join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and lead the government of Maharashtra, and he further kept his suggestion on power-sharing formula between the two saffron parties. 

 

While having a conversation with the reporters in Mumbai, Union Minister Athawale stated that the leader of the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray should remain the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for one year and then the greatly desired position should go to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis for the remaining three years as the time frame of current assembly term.

 

Athawale further stated that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar should join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), not requesting him to tie with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These remarks from the Union Minister came after a meeting was conducted between the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena MP and Spokesperson Sanjay Raut at a city hotel, which has again led to a spark in the political circle of a possible Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tie-up.

 

But later on, the former Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis, made it clear that the meeting was regarding the interview for Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, and Sanjay Raut being its executive editor. The earlier alliance Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena where the Chief Ministerial post was taken on a rotational basis for more than two years. After which the Shiv Sena joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress and thus formed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as its head.