Maharashtra: Fadnavis Asserts ‘Will Go As Decided Earlier’ After Shiv Sena Adamant On '50-50 Formula'

BJP parliamentary board in New Delhi on Thursday ratified names of Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis for the post of Chief Ministers in Haryana and Maharashtra. BJP president Amit Shah was authorised to take decisions and make appointments for the formation of new governments.

New Delhi: With the results declared for all the constituencies in Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena alliance will soon form the government for the second consecutive term in the state. Seeking to strike a hard bargain Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday reminded the BJP of the “fifty-fifty” formula for power-sharing in Maharashtra and said during the Lok Sabha elections the Sena and the BJP had agreed on a 50-50 formula and it is time to implement it. He also added that it is important to see who becomes the CM, again fanning speculations that the Sena might demand CM’s post for Aditya Thackeray. He said the Sena was ready to discuss it with anybody including BJP President Amit Shah, in a transparent manner, and was in "no hurry" to form the government without discussions with his party leaders. Watch | Time to implement 50-50 formula, says Uddhav Thackeray Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fandnavis, on the other hand, downplayed the issue saying the two parties will go by what was decided earlier. “You (the media) will know what is decided between us at the right time,” Fadnavis said at a press conference, adding he had congratulated Uddhav Thackeray over the phone following the poll victory. Meanwhile, on Thursday, BJP parliamentary board in New Delhi ratified names of Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis for the post of Chief Ministers in Haryana and Maharashtra. BJP president Amit Shah was authorised to take decisions and make appointments for the formation of new governments. The meeting was attended by Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party working president JP Nadda, former MP Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan, among others. The alliance secured 161 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) figures of the results of 286 constituencies as at midnight, Thursday-Friday. The BJP had won 105 seats while ally Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats crossing the half-way mark of 144 seats. Also Watch | Maharashtra and Haryana election results, an alarm for BJP The Opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also put up a magnificent show by winning 54 seats and ally Congress won 44 with a combined tally of 98 seats. Among the smaller parties and independents, the Bahujan Vikash Aghadi had won three seats, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Prahar Janshakti Party and Samajwadi Party have emerged victorious in two seats each. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Swabhimani Shetkari Party, CPI(M), Rashtriya Samaj Party, Jan Surajya Party and the Krantikari Shetkari Party have bagged one seat each. Besides, as many as 13 independents were declared victorious across the state. While the Congress has said it bows before the peoples' verdict, the NCP has offered support to the Shiv Sena if it was willing to form a government. Countering all speculation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that the next government will be formed by the 'Maha-Yuti'.