After much bickering, Shiv Sena softens stand, says important to stay in BJP-led alliance

“Individuals are not important but state’s interest is important. Decisions need to be taken in a calm manner and keeping in mind the state’s interest,” the Rajya Sabha MP was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Ever since the results of the state Assembly elections were announced last week, the Sena has been pushing for a ’50-50′ formula for the chief minister’s post.

However, when asked about it, Raut said, “You (the media) are saying this. We only want things to be done according to what has been decided earlier.”

The Sena leader also said there was no hurry to form the government and ruled out speculations that the party may split if there was a delay in the formation of new Council of Ministers.

He also said that no new MLA from the party will quit due to delay in government formation.

About re-election of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as leader of the BJP legislature party, Raut said, “Those who have support of 145 MLAs (in a house of 288) will be the chief minister and it is duty to welcome him.”

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis was unanimously re-elected as the leader of the state BJP Legislative Party. All the 105 newly-elected BJP MLAs were present at the meeting, where Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and party vice president Avinash Rai Khanna arrived as central observers.

The chief minister also dismissed rumours that an “alternate formula” was being chalked out to form the government.

“Though there are several rumours floating around in the state about alternate formulae being worked out to form the government, it is more of an entertainment,” Fadnavis said. He pointed out that after 1995, no party in the state won more than 75 seats in polls to the 288-member Assembly, but the BJP bagged 122 seats in 2014 and 105 in the just concluded elections.

Ajit Pawar, meanwhile, was unanimously re-elected as the legislature party leader of the NCP at the meeting of the newly-elected MLAs in Mumbai. Ajit, nephew of Sharad Pawar, had won the Baramati Assembly segment for another term in the recent assembly elections with a record margin of 1,65,265 votes in Maharashtra.

The Congress, meanwhile, clarified that it will not extend any support to the Sena who is locked in a tussle with the saffron party over government formation.

AICC general secretary incharge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge said there was no question of aligning with the Sena in government formation. “The mandate for the Congress is to function as an opposition party,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency.