Shiv Sena and BJP leaders at a joint press conference in Mumbai.
After a day of hectic parleys, the Sena-BJP understanding over seat sharing fell to pieces late on Tuesday night, when the smaller allies rejected the new formula saying it gave too few seats to them. The NCP-Congress, too, have failed to iron out their differences.
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The fresh seat-sharing formula involved 151 seats for the Shiv Sena and 130 for the BJP. The four other parties which comprise the Mahayuthi - Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Republican Party of India (Athavale) and Shiv Sangram - were offered seven seats.
The Sena had accommodated the BJP's demand for 130 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. But it refused to contest less than its 150-plus seats, reckoning the smaller partners in the state would bear the brunt. The BJP said it was happy with its share, but sided with the smaller parties, suggesting that they be given 18 seats.
In the evening, the BJP held a meeting with the smaller allies, who voiced their displeasure. They even threatened to walk out of the alliance if their demand was not met.
"We want to tell the Sena and BJP to not insult us. You give us a fresh proposal tomorrow (Wednesday)," said Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha. "We told them that we will fight together and among you two, you decide who can give us a respectable number of seats," added Raju Shetty of Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan.
The BJP's batting for the smaller parties is apparently another indirect pressure tactic to get the Sena to contest fewer seats. At stake is the Chief Minister's post. In case the alliance comes to power, the party that wins the most seats, gets the top job.
The Congress and the NCP - also squabbling over seat sharing - had their first direct talks on Tuesday since the meeting between Congress President Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on August 6. NCP wants to contest half the seats or 144. The Congress reiterated its offer of 124 seats to its ally of 15 years, which the latter refused to accept.
Defending the offer, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told the Press Trust of India, "In 2009, we got double the seats in Lok Sabha polls so NCP gave us 10 more seats in Assembly. In 2014, NCP got double the seats than us in Lok Sabha so we will give those many seats (ten) back."
With time running out for the filing of nominations - the last date is September 27 - negotiations in both camps have been bitter and tense. All four parties have insisted they have Plan B in place - contesting the elections, to be held on October 15, alone.
If the Maharashtra alliances come undone, it will become a five-way contest between the Congress, NCP, BJP, Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Narvnirman Sena or MNS. That has also thrown up speculation about possible new post-election alliances. An unshackled NCP, say observers, might not be averse to joining hands with the BJP.
The Congress said it will not be responsible for a split in the alliance. "We hope the NCP will accept our proposal. If we take two steps forward to resolve the deadlock, we want our ally to do the same... we will not be responsible for any (possible) break up (of the alliance)," state Congress leader President Manikrao Thakre told the Press Trust of India.
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