BJP-Sena scuffle: 50-50 formula derived from Bihar

New Delhi: The 50-50 formula, over which the BJP and Shiv Sena are in a political scuffle in Maharashtra, has been derived from Bihar. The Bharatiya Janata Party tried this formula in Bihar during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections while distributing the seats of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Now, the Shiv Sena is using this to pressurise the BJP in Maharashtra.

“The 50-50 formula was first tested in Bihar during Lok Sabha elections. The seats between the BJP and Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) were divided as per this formula only. Since then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has been pressurising the BJP on the basis of this formula but claiming the Chief Minister’s post on the basis of this formula is inappropriate,” a Union Minister told IANS.

There was a dispute between the BJP and the JD-U over the seat distribution in Bihar during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The JD-U wanted as many seats as the BJP whereas at the time of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections the BJP won 22 Lok Sabha seats while the JD-U managed to win only two.

The JD-U threatened to part ways with the coalition if it were denied an equal number of seats. The BJP distributed the seats according to the 50-50 formula. On the basis of the 50-50 formula, the BJP and the JD-U contested on 17 seats each whereas the third party in the NDA from Bihar, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), contested on six.

The 50-50 formula was derived on February 16 in Bihar. Immediately after that while distributing seats in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray demanded that a similar formula should be used in Maharashtra also. After pressure from the Shiv Sena chief, the BJP gave 23 Lok Sabha seats to the Shiv Sena – two less than its own.

The Shiv Sena was adamant on a similar seat distribution for the Maharashtra Assembly elections too. After the results were declared, Thackeray gave a completely new definition to the 50-50 formula and wants the CM post for 2.5 years – half the tenure of the government. The dispute over this has become so intense that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is not able to reach a consensus on government formation even a week after the results.

 Published on: Oct 31, 2019 at 20:50 IST

IANS