Will walk out of Maharashtra govt within one year: Shiv Sena

In the latest threat to quit power and an indication that it will contest the 2019 polls separately, the Shiv Sena on Thursday said it will walk out of the BJP-led Maharashtra government within one year.

The Sena, which shares a frosty relationship with its senior partner BJP, had threatened several times in the past to walk out of the NDA government.

Addressing a rally in Ahmednagar district, 240 kms from here, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray said that after quitting the Sena will come back to power on its own strength.

"The Sena will quit power in one year and come back to power on its own strength. (Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray will decide the time when the party will quit power," Aaditya Thackeray said.

Maharashtra goes to polls in 2019.

"Once that is done (the decision on quitting power is taken), all of you have to work together to bring about a change," the Sena scion said.

Launching a veiled attack on the BJP, Aaditya Thackeray indicated that issues pertaining to education remain unresolved till date and said that students keep meeting him with their demands.

"The Sena is committed to resolving the issues of students. The Sena has also created an educational application that will guide students and resolve their problems," he said.

Ever since the BJP formed government in Maharashtra, the Sena, which always projected itself as the "big brother" in the state politics, has been uneasy for having made to play second fiddle to the BJP.

PTI