BJP and Shiv Sena to separately meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena on Monday will separately meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to discuss the formation of the government in the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior Shiv Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote will separately meet the governor at Raj Bhavan.

The Shiv Sena is likely to inform the Governor about their stand and urge not to take the pre-poll alliance seriously while inviting the largest single party BJP in next govt formation as the Shiv Sena is looking for 50-50 sharing formula.

The Shiv Sena has demanded a written assurance from the BJP on the 50-50 sharing formula and said that Maharashtra should have a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years. Shiv Sena wants this assurance in writing from either Home Minister Amit Shah or CM Fadnavis, only after which the party will lend support to BJP in forming the government. 

"In our meeting, it was decided that like Amit Shah had promised 50:50 formula before Lok Sabha poll, similarly both allies should get chance to run the government for 2.5-2.5 years. So Shiv Sena should also have CM. Uddhav Thackeray should get this assurance in writing from BJP," Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik, an MLA from Ovala-Majiwada, said. 

Thackeray has bluntly told the BJP that the party should first agree on the 50-50 formula and only after that the Shiv Sena will decide to form a government with the BJP. It is possible for the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra only with the help of Shiv Sena as 56 of their MLAs won the Assembly election. In the 288-membered assembly, the BJP is far away from the figures of the majority to form a government on its own. A total of 105 MLAs of the BJP have won in the election.

The seat-sharing pact between the two parties has delayed government formation in Maharashtra.