New Delhi: Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, some MLAs of the BJP will meet Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde setting up camp in a Surat hotel in their "personal capacity" even as he distanced his party from the continuous political strife, said state BJP president Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday. Patil conceded that BJP MLA from Maharashtra, Sanjay Kute, had met Shinde.
While Addressing a press conference session against the setting of Shinde and some Sena MLAs going incommunicado and moving to a hotel in Surat, Patil expressed the following 24 hours will be essential and that the BJP is intently watching the turns of events.
"BJP MLA Sanjay Kute from Maharashtra met Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde in Surat in his personal capacity. The BJP has nothing to do with the ongoing developments. Shinde's decision is not part of any game plan of the BJP," Patil said.
The BJP leader additionally said that it was not actually the case that the (Sena) MLAs going with Shinde in Surat had secretly voted in favour of BJP candidates in recent Rajya Sabha and state Legislative Council polls.
"We received support from disgruntled MLAs from all the parties," he said.
Earlier in the day, Patil had told PTI that if BJP gets any proposal from Eknath Shinde to form a government, the party would consider it truly as Sena and BJP had worked together in the past.
"It is much better to work and run a government with them," the BJP leader had said.
He had additionally said that it is Shiv Sena's inner matter and the BJP is not aware why Shinde went to Surat with his party colleagues.
In the interim, some BJP leaders guaranteed they knew about the growing "unrest" inside the Shiv Sena.
Senior BJP leader and former state minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said his party had been reliably bringing up criticisms over the Shiv Sena-drove government's way of working.
"There was no secret that several Sena leaders were unhappy with the government as well," he said.
Inquired as to whether the BJP would attempt to form a government with the backing of Shiv Sena 'rebel' MLAs, Mungantiwar had said he wouldn't remark on it as he has not addressed his party colleagues about these turns of events.
"In the MLC elections on Monday, the BJP managed to secure 134 votes, which technically means we are short of 11 votes (in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly) to stake claim to form a government. But, it easier to say it than actually make it happen," he said.
In the Legislative Council polls held for 10 seats, the BJP figured out how to win every one of the five seats it had challenged however it had votes to win four candidates. The Sena and NCP won two seats each. Congress experienced a shock as one of its two candidates lost.
(With PTI inputs)