. ?$ - 9 9 9 VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( ,-%*., #/012 '3' 3# / ,*012 ,415 - G #2.7$.,1 245@N"53$.,1.,648,1 8"7.455$G84 $57".72,86 #"8-37#"2#3,5634 #O$5"E<54.5 43,".43.-24 "3,$.134" #78 $.45.8,[email protected] $5"43$2, "@$543#3$B.'3@63$3 D7 !*+E),,# E)F D3 5 3 3 45 6 708(019 ) *& + ( 2#3. major power tussle broke Aout between the ruling saf- fron alliance partners within hours of their retaining power in Maharashtra on Thursday evening after the Shiv Sena staked claim to the Chief Minister’s post under the guise of 50:50 power-sharing formula “agreed upon” between it and ) "3,$.134" the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. t is not the kind of Diwali In swift developments that Iwhich the BJP wanted in followed, the Opposition Haryana. Riding high on the Congress and NCP added fuel slogan of “over 75 this time” to the fire. While former Chief and abrogation of Article 370, $ && " & P , " + ! Minister Prithviraj Chavan of $ . # & $ % the saffron party was reduced the Congress said he antici- , % " % # - to 40 seats — 7 less than it won ! , " % % , " pated some “interesting possi- , " # " ! in the last Assembly polls — single largest party BJP to form bilities” on the BJP-Sena front " ! with a resurgent Opposition the Government and the frac- in the coming 15 days, senior gaining strength due to agrar- tured mandate notwithstand- NCP leader and former Deputy had no bargaining power at that ian crisis and growing unem- ing, the party’s Chief Minister Chief Minister Chhagan time. That won’t happen now.” ployment. would be sworn in. It will be Bhujbal said, “Anything can %&'()*(+)',- “I do not rule out some In a hung verdict, which only after being sworn in that happen in politics. The Shiv interesting possibilities. Wait has opened the doors for back- the backstage managers of the Sena can get the Chief !4 #'- for 15 days. You will get now,” door negotiations and new BJP would become active to get Minister’s post.” 1 he said. political realignments, several support from the JJP, smaller Shiv Sena president / L;</;<M “We are talking to our new political possibilities of parties and the Independents to Uddhav Thackeray set the ball 4 ! allies. We know what are the Government formation prove majority on the floor of rolling by reiterating the 50:50 8 1 possibilities before us. We all emerged and the BJP clearly the House. formula of seat and power- ,- -> will sit across whether to pro- has the advantage with the Given the fractured verdict, sharing decided between the 1 L6 ceed in the matter or not,” numbers. a section of the BJP is con- bow coalition of non-Jat castes Sena and the BJP at a meeting ,-/ Chavan said, indirectly hinting In the new Assembly, the templating whether Chief following the violent Jat he held with BJP president M at the exploring the possibili- BJP remains the single largest Minister Manohar Lal Khattar protests of 2016 lies shattered Amit Shah and Chief Minister ty of extending support to the party and would stake its claim is the best bet at this point of to an extent this time around. Devendra Fadnavis in February Shiv Sena from outside. to form a Government. time to lead the party. His rain- Continued on Page 4 this year (ahead of the Lok time of seat-sharing, BJP power sharing in the new Chavan set the cat among the Earlier, when he was asked However, the biggest riddle Sabha polls) as the basis for Minister Chandrakant Patil Government. pigeons by saying, “The BJP has about the Opposition com- for the party would be to get power-sharing in the new had told us that his party had Chief Minister Devendra got lesser number of seats than bine supporting the Shiv Sena, the requisite numbers to get a Government. some difficulties. We under- Fadnavis — who addressed it had expected. They were say- NCP president Sharad Pawar majority in the 90-member Responding to a query as stood them then.” the media minutes after ing all things that they would get said, “People have asked us to House. In such a scenario, the to which of the two saffron “We cannot understand Uddhav did — said that he had more than 220/250 seats, etc. sit in the Opposition. The fledgling Jananayak Janata alliance partners would get the the difficulties of everyone. seen and heard what the Sena They (BJP leaders) were even thought of trying to get into Party (JJP) holds the key. Chief Minister’s post, Uddhav After all I have to run my party president had said. He sought talking about forming the power doesn’t even cross our The JJP — the surprise said at a news conference he and widen its base. Now let us to buy time by saying, “What Government on their own minds. We will work to expand package this election and the addressed at his “Matoshree” discuss everything in a trans- Uddhavji has said is correct. We strength. If they want to form a our base”. true inheritors of the legacy of residence, “Who will become parent manner with Delhi had decided on the formula. Government now, they will To another query, Pawar Jat leader Chaudhary Devi Lal the Chief Minister is an impor- leaders. Let Amit Shah come We would go by that...there is have to give the Shiv Sena its said, “We will not go with Shiv — would take a call on extend- tant question. Ahead of the Lok from Delhi. Let’s discuss the no ambiguity”. Fadnavis, how- pound of flesh. After the last Sena. NCP-Congress and other ing support on Friday. Sabha polls, we (Sena and BJP) issues with him,” Uddhav said, ever, chose not to elaborate on elections, the NCP had offered allies will decide together, the Government sources indi- had arrived at 50:50 seat and as he insisted on the BJP imple- the matter. unconditional support from the future course of action.” cated that Governor Satyadev power sharing formula. At the menting the 50:50 formula of On his part, Prithviraj outside. As result, the Shiv Sena Continued on Page 4 Narayan Arya would invite the # & '( # "3,$.134" R ! ut of the three sporting Ostars fielded by the BJP in the polls, only one managed to ,56$57". seats went to the Opposition, secure a victory for the party. but the saffron outfit did com- The BJP had fielded he result of the bypolls for paratively better in Uttar Commonwealth wrestling Tthe 51 Assembly seats in 11 Pradesh, where it managed to champion Babita Phogat from States, including politically retain seven out of 11 seats. Dadri, Olympic wrestling important Gujarat, Bihar and In Madhya Pradesh, medallist Yogeshwar Dutt ! Uttar Pradesh, came as wake- Congress wrested its tradi- from Baroda and former " up call for the BJP-led NDA on tional Jhabua Assembly seat national hockey team captain Monday. The BJP conceded from the BJP. In Rajasthan Sandeep Singh from Pehowa. ground to the Opposition in also, the Congress increased its All three were first-time can- Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, tally in the State legislature by didates. while its ally Janata Dal(U) suf- one after winning the Assembly Sandeep recorded his # fered a bloody nose in Bihar. bypolls to Mandawa, while MP maiden election victory from $ %#$& The BJP lost the prestigious Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Pehowa seat in Kurukshetra '( Satara Lok Sabha bypoll in Loktantrik Party retained the district and defeated Congress )* + Maharashtra. However, the Khinwsar seat. candidate Mandeep Singh , NDA ally LJP retained the The BJP and its allies had Chathha by a margin of 5,314 -$- Samastipur (SC) Lok Sabha held nearly 30 of the 51 votes. constituency. Assembly seats, while the ! In Dadri, Babita could In Gujarat, influential OBC Congress had won 12 and the secure only third place as an leader Alpesh Thakor, who rest were with regional parties. Fatima, who is a Rajya Sabha cornered by the SP. The BSP scheduled next year. While the Independent Sombir won the recently joined the saffron Among the States ruled by the member and also wife of con- which contested separately RJD won two seats, one each seat. Sombir polled 43,849 37,530 votes and Krishan !"#$#"%&' . party, lost to the Congress can- BJP and its allies, elections troversial SP leader and MP from the SP (unlike 2019 Lok seat went to All India Majlis-e- votes followed by 29,319 of Hooda secured 42,379 votes. - didate. The Congress and the were held for 11 seats in UP, from the constituency Azam Sabha alliance), scored a duck. Itehadil Muslimmeen of JJP’s Satpal Sangwan and The most “famous” BJP shared three seats each in followed by six in Gujarat, five Khan, has scored victory over The NDA in Bihar pre- Asaduddin Owaisi, the JD(U), 24,502 of Babita Phogat. celebrity candidate of the BJP the stronghold of the Prime in Bihar, four in Assam and two the BJP candidate. sented very poor show in by- and an Independent. But, in Olympic medallist — Sonali Phogat — who was . Minister and the BJP president. each in Himachal Pradesh and The BJP has won seven elections to five Assembly seg- Samastipur Lok Sabha seat, Yogeshwar failed to impress contesting from Adampur / The BJP also presented a Tamil Nadu. Assembly seats in UP with ments of the State, seen by NDA constituent LJP com- the voters as he was defeated against Congress’ Kuldeep O 1 dismal show in Bihar bypolls, SP candidate from one going to party of Apana some as the “semi-final” ahead fortably retained seat.