Forgive and forget: BJP and Sena close to deal in Maharashtra, eye on Delhi

Sources said that under the informal agreement between BJP president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis was likely to accommodate around 10 Sena leaders in his government, with at least four of Cabinet rank. The Sena has given up its demand for the deputy chief ministership, but is likely to get the Home portfolio.

While the finer details will be worked out by state party leaders, the other portfolios which the Sena is likely to get are Power, PWD, Health and Rural Development.

The Sena had named Desai as its choice for a ministerial post before the recent expansion of the Union Cabinet, but chose to restrain him from taking oath at the last minute, in the absence of a power-sharing arrangement in Maharashtra.

With the Sena on board, the BJP would be able to bank on its support in both Houses of Parliament on all legislations, including the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill which it had earlier opposed. The party has 18 members in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha.

The BJP has a total of 122 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, while the Sena is the second largest party with 63 MLAs. While the BJP does not have majority without the Sena, the Sena too cannot play the role of an effective opposition party in the state while sharing power at the Centre.