India / Ahead Of BJP's Deadline, Sena Sends 'Wishes', Warns Of Horsetrading

MUMBAI | With 24 hours to go before the BJP has to form government in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena heaped taunts on its ally, sending their "best wishes" and expressing confidence that it would try do its best to buy MLAs ahead of the test of strength in the assembly. The party also said they are confident that the Congress MLAs cannot be swayed.

"I give my best wishes to the BJP to form their government in the state, as they claim to have a majority and numbers to have their own Chief Minister," said Sena's Sanjay Raut, who has been leading the party's offensive against the BJP since the counting of the assembly election votes.

"We believe that the BJP will try all means to horsetrade MLAs, but I am confident that the Congress MLAs cannot be traded," said the leader, appearing undeterred by the negative signals regarding a possible alliance from the Congress camp.

The Sena has been sending feelers to the Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and talking of an alternative political alignment. But last week, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had ruled it out, sources said.

The BJP believes in the "business of politics". "Our leaders are not businessmen, Shiv Sena has never done business in politics," said Mr Raut, whose party has sequestered its MLAs at a resort far from Mumbai to keep them out of the BJP's reach.

"We will be going to meet our MLAs at the resort today, to know what they believe in... Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray will also be present," he said.

For several years now, the BJP has created this image that they can buy MLAs and buy a government if they want, the Sena leader said. But his party, he claimed, has managed to break their habit.