Maha CM, Shiv Sena leader meet Governor amid power-sharing tussle

Mumbai, Oct 28: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Raote on Monday met state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, amid the ongoing tussle between ruling alliance partners BJP and Shiv Sena over forming the next state government.

A Raj Bhawan official said the meetings were "courtesy calls" by the two leaders, who met Koshyari separately. Fadnavis drove to the Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai at 11 am and met Koshyari, who was sworn-in as the 19th Governor of Maharashtra last month.

Raote also met Koshyari, the official told PTI. As the BJP's tally went down in the October 21 state Assembly elections, compared to its 2014 performance, ally Shiv Sena raised a pitch for "equal sharing" of power.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray reminded the BJP of the 50:50 formula "agreed upon" between himself, BJP president Amit Shah and Fadnavis ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. On Saturday, the Sena demanded a written assurance from the BJP for implementing "equal formula for sharing of power" before holding talks on staking the claim to form the next alliance government in the state.

In the just-concluded state polls to 288-member Assembly, the BJP won 105 seats, a loss of 17 seats compared to its 2014 tally. The Sena's tally also came down to 56 seats from 63 in 2014. A resurgent NCP won 54 and the Congress bagged 44 seats.