Maharashtra will have its chief minister from the Shiv Sena, senior party leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday amid a standoff with ally BJP over sharing the top post in the next Maharashtra government.
Under a 50:50 power-sharing formula agreed between the two allies before the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, Uddhav Thackeray has said that the BJP had agreed on sharing the chief minister's post. The Shiv Sena chief has earlier demanded that the post be shared between the two parties on a rotational basis.
Even though reports say the BJP is trying to hold backchannel negotiations with the Sena, Raut told the media there have been no talks yet between the two on government formation.
"The Maharashtra chief minister will be from the Shiv Sena", he asserted.
"No ultimatum to the BJP (on government formation). They are big people," the Rajya Sabha MP said, adding, "If the Sena decides, it can get the required numbers to form a stable government in Maharashtra".
In the just-held state polls, the BJP won 105 seats, while the Sena got 56 in the 288-member assembly. The BJP, emerging as the single largest party in the polls, still needs Sena's numbers to cross the majority mark of 145.
Raut's hint at changing allies comes a day after he met NCP leader Sharad Pawar at his residence.
"I had come to wish him on the occasion of Diwali. We also discussed politics in Maharashtra", he told ANI after the meeting.
Both parties have also got some Independent MLAs on their sides in order to bolster their numbers.
While Sena already got support from six Independents, several MLAs from various parties on Thursday met current Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and extended support.
The MLAs who extended their support are -- Kshitij Thakur (Nalasopara) of Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi, Shyamsundar Shinde (Loha) of Peasants and Worker's Party and Vinay Kore of Jan Surajya Shakti, along with at least eight Independents.
Various issues were discussed during the meeting including loss and damage to crops due to unseasonal rain and steps taken by the state government to assist the farmers.
The Shiv Sena has been saying that there was a 50-50 power-sharing agreement between the two parties but Fadnavis has said that the party's ally was not promised the Chief Minister's post for two-and-a-half years when the alliance was finalised before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
People have given the mandate to form government on the basis of "50:50 formula" that was reached in front of the people of Maharashtra, Raut said.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is demanding the post of Chief Minister for 2.5 years and 50:50 division of portfolios.
Both these demands have been rejected by the BJP which has insisted that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will continue to hold the post for the next five years.
(With inputs from agencies)
