Confident of Sena-BJP alliance in 2019 Assembly elections: CM Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. (File)

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said he was confident of a pre-poll alliance between the BJP and Shiv Sena for the 2019 elections. Fadnavis said the confidence stemmed from the belief that Sena was a party functioning on the ideology of late Bal Thackeray, who always gave his consent for an alliance with the BJP whenever there was a realignment of “so- called pseudo-secular parties”.

At the Lokmat TV 18 Award function held in Mumbai, Fadnavis was interviewed by Shiv Sena MP and editor of Saamana Sanjay Raut. The interview raised eyebrows as Raut has always been a critic of the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, expressed through the Sena mouthpiece Saamana.

The chief minister made it clear that he was ready to field any question on any subject from Raut, and that there was “no match fixing”. Overriding the Sena’s earlier decision to contest alone, he said, “I believe Sena is a party which is guided by the thoughts of late Bal Thackeray. Whenever so called pseudo-secular parties united, Balasaheb always ensured an alliance with the BJP. He was committed to Hindutva and nationalism.” Although Sena is now headed by Uddhav Thackeray, it is guided by Balasaheb’s thinking, he added.

Notwithstanding the Opposition attack on the government at the Centre and the state, he said, “Let media and opposition say and write anything. But the people of India have unwavering faith in leadership of Narendra Modi. They believe he is working for the welfare of the country and people.”

In 2019, the NDA will return to the Centre and Maharashtra with people’s support, he added.

When Raut wondered why the BJP had broken the alliance with the Sena in 2014, Fadnavis said, “It was the Sena which was adamant on 151 seats out of 288 seats. The BJP had offered Sena 147 seats. The BJP was willing to contest on 141 seats and accommodate smaller allies from its own quota. Had the Sena taken the offer, it would have won at least 120 seats and BJP would have won 105 seats. The chief minister of Maharashtra would have been Uddhav Thackeray. And if he wished he could have made Sanjay Raut the CM.”

Recalling the 1995 Sena-BJP government, Raut said, “When Manohar Joshi was the chief minister, remote control was in the hands of Bal Thackeray. Today, who is remote controlling the Fadnavis government?”

Fadnavis said, “If Bal Thackeray were alive, I would have loved the remote in his hand. Today, the question does not arise.”

Fadnavis also noted that at the chief ministers’ conclave, Modi always emphasised on a common agenda for the larger public good instead of pushing popular agenda, which was not practical.