BOMBAY, 6 October 2006 — After a 22-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shiv Sena party leaders have taken a decision to end their ties with the BJP. The move follows sharp differences over a vacant legislature seat in the Chimur assembly constituency in the Vidarbha region, with both parties seeking to contest the seat that had fallen vacant following the defection of Sena legislator Vijay Veddetiwar to the Congress.

The decision to break off the alliance between the two parties was taken at a meeting held at the residence of Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, which was also attended by his son the Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray, senior party leaders Manohar Joshi, Sanjay Raut and eight others. Party sources say that the decision was unanimous.

Sena leaders claimed that they had the right to claim the Chimur assembly seat, while the BJP too staked a claim to the seat. The state BJP President Nitin Gadkari remained adamant in his stand stating that its strength is bigger than that of Sena’s and that it would contest the election, irrespective of whether the Sena supports it or not.

Uddhav stated that Sena too were firm in their stand and that he would address a public rally in Chimur on Oct. 12, and also announce the name of the Sena candidate. Another prominent Sena leader Sanjay Raut denied the BJP allegations that the Sena was putting pressure on the BJP not to contest the seat and said that it was the other way round with the BJP exerting pressure on the Sena. He also held that the BJP was responsible for the spilt between the two parties.

The BJP national President Rajnath Singh commenting on the breakup between the two parties said that they would patch up the differences. The fact remains that there is no BJP leader of the capabilities of the late Pramod Mahajan, who is capable of keeping the allies together. Earlier, whenever the Sena supremo Bal Thackeray used such threatening tactics, it was Mahajan who used to calm Thackeray down, said a senior BJP leader in Bombay.

The breaking of ties would have a great impact in the forthcoming civic elections to the Bombay Municipal Corporation that is to be held early next year. If the BJP does not ally with the Sena by then it is sure to lose ground in the civic body, as at present the Sena has 102 councilors in a house of 227 in the BMC, with the BJP tally of only 36.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar, president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and also the president of the Board for Control of Cricket of India (BCCI), remained unfazed by the threats of the Shiv Sena to disrupt the cricket matches if Pakistan played in the country. Pawar added that he was confident that the Champions Trophy match that is beginning tomorrow would pass off smoothly.

Pawar put the ball in the court of the Shiv Sena saying, “I do not foresee any trouble from the Sena, as knowing Bal and Uddhav Thackeray are sport-lovers who love cricket. I’m sure and confident that they would both take it sportingly.”

Asked if he would speak to the Thackerays, he said, “So far I have not spoken to them, but also I do not know if I will speak to them.”

Regarding another question of security during the finals and the Sena’s threats that it would disrupt the match if Paksitan played, Pawar refused to draw into the discussion and said that everything was premature.

“Let us not get into hypothesis and guesswork...we don’t know who will reach the final. It could be Australia, England, or Pakistan,” he said.

Dismissing Thackeray’s appeal to the people of Bombay to support the Sena on the cricket issue related to Pakistan, Pawar said that he was confident that there would be no trouble, as the people of Bombay were peace loving and therefore there would be no disturbances of any kind.