Is impasse in Maharashtra on the 50:50 demand of the Shiv Sena anything to do with intra-party rivalry of the BJP? Grapevine is abuzz that it has more to do with internal squabbling in the BJP than the Shiv Sena which is just taking advantage of the situation where BJP is falling short of number despite independence supporting it.

Some of the leaders are of the view that the issue can be resolved by few party stalwarts with the blink of eyes. The RSS, as usual, is also not intervening directly to rescue the Maharashtra BJP despite another son of Nagpur in the tangle.

But the real story seems to be different, party insiders say that president of the party is not happy with the incumbent CM of Maharashtra and he does not also have godfather as such and he was made CM to balance Nitin Gadkari. Now with the party president wanting someone else that is state BJP president Chandrakant Patil to make CM, this is bound to happen.

So all this drama is enacted with the leadership fully in control of the situation and also central leadership is trying to give a message to state BJP satraps to understand their worth. Obviously, the BJP leadership is not such that it would succumb to the blackmailing of the Shiv Sena as the BJP knows it well that the SS forming the government with the help of NCP and the Congress would be biggest political hara-kiri of the recent times. However, the time tested dictum that there is no permanent friend and foe in politics works for the BJP-SS as well.