NAGPUR, 21 June 2007 — Saffron alliance partners Shiv Sena (SS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fallen out over whether to support United Progressive Alliance’s presidential nominee Pratibha Patil.

Speaking to the media at Nagpur, Maharashtra BJP President Nitin Gadkari brushed aside the SS decision to support Pratibha on account of her being a Marathi from Maharashtra. Gadkari, disputing the Shiv Sena contention, said, “ Pratibha is not a Marathi but a Gujarati and is married to Shekhawat from Rajasthan. Therefore there is absolutely no valid reason for the Shiv Sena to support the UPA candidate.”

Political analysts disagree with Gadkari’s statement on Pratibha, who is known to have roots in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra and has been a legislator and minister in several Congress governments in the state. “Gadkari has put his foot in his mouth by making incorrect statements about Pratibha and needs to do his homework well,” said a senior NCP leader from Nagpur.

When Gadkari was asked to comment on the status of the SS-BJP alliance in respect to their different stance regarding Pratibha, Gadkari declined to comment saying that the question was purely hypothetical.

The BJP leader also declined to comment on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s call for a united effort from party members to wrest power in the 2009 assembly elections, saying that he has not read Thackeray’s statement and would only comment after reading what the Sena chief had said. Top BJP leaders in the state agree that NDA alliance candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat would be in trouble if the Shiv Sena does not extend support to him for the presidential post.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had warned the BJP not to take the SS for granted and that it is capable of going alone without its support. Addressing party workers on Tuesday at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga in a meeting to commemorate the 41st foundation day of the Shiv Sena, Thackeray made it clear that there was no question of the Sena supporting President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for a second term. He added that although his party was in favor of supporting UPA candidate Pratibha Patil, a decision on presidential nominee has been deferred till June 25.

“Accepting Kalam is out of question. He has let down the nation by not taking a firm decision on Afzal Guru, even though the Supreme Court had given him a death sentence,” Thackeray said.

The tone of Thackeray’s speech indicated that he was somewhat inspired by the success of Mayawati and that the Shiv Sena would eliminate caste banners and unite Dalits with upper caste Hindus in the state for the 2009 Assembly elections. From Thackeray’s speech it is amply clear that the Sena is all set to explore the possibility of realignment in the next state elections.

To consolidate its own vote bank, Thackeray also exhorted party workers to march alone and ensure that “the saffron flag flutters atop the state Assembly in 2009.”