Have Other Options Too But Don't Want To Commit 'Sin': Shiv Sena Plays Hardball With BJP Over CM Post

As the post-poll suspense continues over government formation in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena top leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that his party has other options apart from the BJP. Shiv Sena playing hardball with the BJP over Chief Ministership means that there might be some delay in government formation in Maharashtra. “Uddhav Thackeray ji has said that we have other options too, but we don't want to do the sin of accepting that alternative. Shiv Sena has always done politics of truth, we are not hungry for power,” Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Commenting on the delay in government formation despite the pre-poll alliance, Raut took a sharp swipe at the BJP and said, “There is no Dushyant here whose father is in jail. Here it's us who do politics of 'dharma and satya', Sharad ji who created an environment against BJP and Congress who will never go with BJP.” In recently held Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the BJP contested in 164 seats of the 288-member assembly and won 105 while Shiv Sena contested 124 seats and won 56.

Talking about the 50:50 formula, where both parties will share the post of the Chief Minister for 2.5 years each, Raut said, "We will see how they do not share the post of chief minister. Both the parties agreed on 50:50 power-sharing formula. There is no need to explain it in detail." Raut claimed there has been no discussion so far between the BJP and Sena on government formation. Raut is the chief whip of the party in Parliament and executive editor of Sena mouthpiece Saamana.

On Monday, amid tug-of-war over the post of Maharashtra Chief Minister, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and other Shiv Sena leaders met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari separately.

Meanwhile, there’s a strong buzz over Fadnavis taking oath as Chief Minister of Maharashtra on either November 2nd or 3rd next month. According to a media report by the Decan Chronicle, the BJP will hold the swearing-in ceremony at Mumbai’s Wankhade Stadium. The report quoted a BJP leader as saying that   the party had planned to hold the swearing ceremony at Mahalakshmi Race Course — if it had managed to get a majority on its own.