BJP rules out change in Maharashtra-Haryana CMs: Shah to take final call

New Delhi, Oct 24: The BJP parliamentary board authorised party chief Amit Shah on Thursday to take all decisions regarding government formation in Haryana and Maharashtra.

The board, which is the apex organisational body of the BJP, met here after the party won a majority of seats in alliance with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and appeared set to form government in Haryana as well after emerging as the single largest party.

Party sources said there will be no change in chief ministers of any state, a decision on expected lines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah, besides other senior party leaders, attended the board's meeting.

In Haryana, the BJP won in 40 seats in the elections to the 90-member state assembly, according to the latest election commission figures, falling short of the majority mark of 46. Results showed that the saffron alliance was set to get majority, even though its overall numbers appeared to be falling short of their 2014 tally. While in Maharashtra, the BJP had won 101 seats and Sena on 57 seats out of the total 288 Assembly seats.

While the two parties can form the government comfortably, the BJP fell short of its target of reaching near the half-way mark on its own, giving more leverage to the Sena.