New Delhi: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will chair a meeting with newly-elected party MLAs on Saturday amid the speculations over new chief minister of Maharashtra following Assembly polls win in the state. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the Maharashtra assembly polls with the former emerging as the single largest party in the state with 105 seats. Shiv Sena, on the other hand, bagged 56 seats in the elections.


Earlier this week Thackeray raised questions over whether the BJP or his party will get the chief minister's seat in the state."The important question is who will be the chief minister? When the Lok Sabha elections were held we had decided on the 50-50 formula in the state. (BJP state chief) Chandrakant Patil raised some issues this time which we understood but we can only tolerate so much. After all, we have to run our party too. If the need arises Amit (Shah) Ji should come here to carry out what was decided earlier," he said.

"Discussions should be held over what was decided and then it will be decided who the chief minister will be," the Shiv Sena chief added.
The NCP also increased its numbers as compared to the 2014 elections with 54 seats while the Congress slipped to the fourth position winning 44 seats.

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Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Congress on Friday hinted that it could offer "support" to a Shiv Sena-led government. The indication came a day after senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and ex-Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and senior Congress MP Hussain Dalwai extended similar proposals, ostensibly in a bid to keep Sena ally and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power. "We have not received any communication from the Sena on this yet. However, if it comes, we shall put it up with the party high command for a decision in the matter," state Congress President Balasaheb Thorat told mediapersons.

The Congress, NCP and all its allies together have bagged a significant chunk of 117 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. The BJP-Shiv Sena combined tally stands at 161.

On Thursday evening, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had categorically dismissed such speculative suggestions, affirming that the next government will be formed by the BJP and its allies.

(with inputs from agencies)