The waiting game is over. Shiv Sena has blinked first. At a rally in Mumbai, party chief Uddhav Thackeray announced that talks for a pre-poll alliance with the BJP have failed and that his party will fight all local polls, including the prestigious BMC in Mumbai, on its own.
The two parties held three rounds of talks, but failed to reach anywhere near consensus. After the third round, the BJP stuck to its demand of fighting 114 seats (out of 227), while Shiv Sena offered no more than 60.
It was said that Uddhav Thackeray would hold a round of discussion with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, but that never happened.
Uddhav said demanding 114 seats was an “insult” to Shiv Sena. He identified the BJP as his main enemy, calling it corrupt and criminal. He made an emotional appeal to Shiv Sainiks to defeat the BJP.
Shiv Sena wasted 25 years in this alliance. But now we won’t bow before anyone. I hereby announce a new, tough path for Shiv Sena. You too will have to walk with me. We won’t ally with anyone in Maharashtra and come to power on our own.Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena Chief