The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which contested 150 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly election, has won 103 seats. Its ally Shiv Sena with 56 seats, however, is eyeing the chair of the chief minister of the state. Aditya Thackeray won the election from the Worli Assembly seat. There is enthusiasm among the party workers with his victory. Now posters of Aaditya Thackeray have been pasted on walls of the city of Mumbai after the election results. In the posters, Aditya Thackeray has been described as the “future Chief Minister of Maharashtra”.
The BJP has made it clear that Devendra Fadnavis will continue to be the chief minister, but the Shiv Sena wouldn’t let go that easily. When Aaditya Thackeray was questioned about the post of chief minister, he said he would talk about it later.
When the Shiv Sena chief was questioned about this, he did not give any direct answer but reminded BJP of the “50-50 formula”. Shiv Sena went to the extent of belittling BJP’s victory, saying that this was “not a mandate of the majority”. In the editorial of its mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena wrote, “The trend of the people of Maharashtra is straightforward and clear. Do not go to extremes, do not be maniacal; or else, you will be finished — such is the mandate that has come out of the EVMs.”
Since the results were declared by the Election Commission, Shiv Sena has been demanding the post of chief minister of the state. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s statement has been printed on the front page of Saamana. The title reads, “Formula first, then government”.
Uddhav Thackeray said it was time to remind BJP of the formula their president Amit Shah had promised. This formula was of “50-50” (two-and-a-half years of BJP rule and the remaining two-and-a-half years will have a chief minister from the Shiv Sena). “
