Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed his party will do better than the exit poll projections in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, also said that MNS - Sena's rival in Maharashtra for the Marathi-speakers' votes - would do badly in the polls. To another question, Raut said NDA did not need Sharad Pawar-led NCP. "If any party from Maharashtra is required (to be taken into) NDA, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will take the final decision," he said. To a question on his editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana which was perceived as anti-Gujaratis and created a controversy, Raut said the stand of the party leadership was acceptable to him. "The chapter is now closed," he said.
