Top BJP state leaders monitor results on TV in Maharashtra
As results are being counted for Maharashtra, the BJP and Shiv Sena, recently estranged, are returning to niceties. The BJP will win more seats in the state than any other party, but an outright majority remains out of reach. The Shiv Sena, on the other hand, which for 25 years had senior partner status in the alliance with the BJP, is confined to second place.
"The Sena must respect the result and come forward on their own. We will treat them fairly," said Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, a key strategist for the BJP in Maharashtra. "The Shiv Sena is not our opponent... they will always be our friends," said Devendra Fadnavis, the head of the BJP in Maharashtra. A Sena spokesperson appearing on NDTV said that party chief Uddhav Thackeray would make a call "in Maharashtra's best interest."
Mr Thackeray, whose insistence on the post of Chief Minister was one of the main reasons for the break-up, is not prepared to relax that condition, said BJP sources, who are equally clear this remains a deal-maker. Sources said the BJP's national leaders have begun reaching out to Sharad Pawar's NCP, which is in third place in Maharashtra.
After the split with the BJP in September, Mr Thackeray went on the offensive, alleging "betrayal" at rallies and using his party mouthpiece to elaborate in great and acerbic detail on that accusation. The BJP was much more restrained. After exit polls earlier this week showed the BJP performing strongly, the Sena dialed down its onslaught considerably, referring to being "broken-hearted" about its divorce from the BJP.
Despite his rich assortment of remarks against the BJP, Mr Thackeray, 54, has not exited the National Democratic Alliance or NDA. His party continues to have one minister in the PM's government. And Mr Thackeray's son, 24-year-old Aditya, said that the alliance with the BJP "remains at other levels."