Anant Geete rules out resignation, says Sena still part of NDA

New Delhi, Anant Geete, Shiv Sena’s lone member in the Union Cabinet, today said he will not resign as Heavy Industries Minister after his party decided to ontinue in NDA despite parting ways with BJP for Maharashtra polls. Asked whether he will resign, Geete said, “Certainly not”. “It (the alliance) will remain intact at the Centre,” he added. BJP earlier snapped ties with its oldest partner Shiv Sena after failure of talks on seat-sharing in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, ending a 25-year-old ideological alliance that had survived various vicissitudes. Geete said he had spoken to party chief Uddhav Thackeray on the issue. “I have spoken to Uddhav Thackeray. There is no question of resigning. We are a part of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance). “The government is of NDA and the Shiv Sena has a significant contribution in the (formation of) NDA government. 42 MPs have been elected from Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena has a contribution in that. This is why the question of resigning does not arise,” Geete, who is the Union Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Minister, told reporters here at the launch of the cleanliness drive for the Swachh Bharat Mission. Buoyed by the Lok Sabha results in which the BJP-Sena alliance won 42 of the 48 seats, BJP upped the ante and demanded 135 assembly seats which the Sena was not willing to give. Sena responded saying it would leave only 119 seats but later agreed to concede a few more seats. On the possibility of a post-poll alliance between Sena and BJP in Maharashtra, Geete said: “It will not be appropriate to talk about the future. But everything is possible in politics”. On whether Udhhav will meet Modi tomorrow, Geete said: “I have no information on that”. Maharashtra elections will be held on October 15.