Shiv Sena Will Have Its Chief Minister In Maharashtra At Any Cost: Sanjay Raut

"How will BJP have its chief minister when they are not staking a claim to form government," Raut said.

Minutes after BJP announcement that it would not form government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the party would install its chief minister at any cost.

New Delhi: Minutes after BJP announcement that it would not form government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the party would install its chief minister at any cost. "Maharashtra will have Sena's chief minister at any cost. Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday informed the party MLAs that Sena will have its chief minister," Raut told reporters. The BJP on Sunday announced that it would not form government in Maharashtra in view of the ally Shiv Sena's stand to not join them in the efforts. "How will BJP have its chief minister when they are not staking a claim to form government," Raut said. Watch | Maharashtra will get CM of Shiv Sena: Sanjay Raut

Earlier on Sunday, Sena President Uddhav Thackeray met his legislators - all secured in The Retreat - a five-star hotel in Madh, Malad (north-west Mumbai) and boosted their morale by assuring that a Shiv Sena CM would soon be sworn-in. Meanwhile, in a stunning political development, the BJP today conceded its inability to form the government in Maharashtra despite having the public mandate for its pre-poll alliance. BJP State President Chandrakant Patil said that party's stand has been conveyed to Governor B.S. Koshyari this evening after a series of marathon meetings of the party's state core committee since morning. "The Shiv Sena has insulted the public mandate... If it is in a position to form the government along with the support of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party, our best wishes are with them," said Patil, who was flanked by his former minister colleagues like Ashish Shelar, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vinod Tawde, Pankaja Munde and Girish Mahajan, at the brief media interaction on the lawns of Raj Bhavan. Also Watch | Shiv Sena will form government: Uddhav Thackeray Outgoing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis - who has confidently proclaimed till Saturday that the BJP would form the government - was conspicuous by his absence. Reacting to the development, NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik said that there is no formal proposal from the Sena on the government formation. "However, our national President will clear the party's stand at our party legislators' meeting scheduled in Mumbai on Tuesday," Malik told media persons. The opposition Congress also conducted informal discussions with its legislators, currently flown to Jaipur, to gauge their mood on supporting the Sena, though the party high command has already expressed its reluctance in the matter. (with agency inputs)