Maharashtra will have Shiv Sena chief minister, says Sanjay Raut

Mumbai, Nov 1: Maharashtra will have chief minister from the Shiv Sena, senior party leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday amid standoff with ally BJP over sharing the top post.

Talking to reporters here, he said there has been no talks yet between the BJP and the Sena 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.

If the Sena decides, it can get the required numbers to form a stable government in Maharashtra, he said. People have given mandate to form government on the basis of "50:50 formula" that was reached in front of the people of Maharashtra, Raut said. In the just-held state polls, the BJP won 105 seats, while the Sena got 56 in the 288-member assembly.

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.