Emboldened by general and state poll results, and Narendra Modi's appeal among voters, the Bharatiya Janata Party has declined former senior ally Shiv Sena's face-saving terms. Sanjay Jog reports.
In July, after its sterling performance in the Lok Sabha election across the country, including in the state, the BJP had clearly indicated that time had moved on.
Strengthening its resolve were a series of pre-assembly poll surveys.
Even so, till two days before the final date in September for filing of nominations, the BJP kept the Sena guessing.
It had continued its seat sharing negotiations but had also used the three months in between at the grassroots to be ready for going it alone, deploying party members at all 90,400 booths and assigning all 288 constituencies among its Union ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and other seniors.
The Sena believed the BJP would finally fall in and agree to contest less. It was caught unawares when BJP formally announced a parting.
As that campaign gathered momentum and Prime Minister Narendra Modi started addressing massive rallies, the disturbed Sena began firing repeated salvoes against him and the BJP, instead of focus-firing at the ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.
Modi and the NCP added to
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