'Can Form Govt on Our Own': Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut Asks BJP to Shun 'Arrogance' as Power Tussle Continues

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday renewed his attack against the BJP in Maharashtra, asking the ally to “not feed its arrogance” as his party was capable of forming the government on its own.

Taking to Twitter, Raut said: "Sahib, don't feed your arrogance...many Alexanders have drowned in the ocean of time... " The statement came a day after the senior leader and editor of Sena mouthpiece Saamana met NCP’s Sharad Pawar in a visit that raised eyebrows in political circles. The move was seen as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party trying to arm-twist the BJP by sending feelers to the opposition players.

On Friday, Raut said: “The people of Maharashtra want a chief minister from the Sena. People gave a mandate to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance but if this mandate is not followed, we will be left with no option. If Uddhav Thackeray ji has said the chief minister should be from Shiv Sena, then we can give it in writing that it will be done... If we want, we can form the government by a 2/3rds majority.”

When asked about the Sena’s meeting with the Governor on Thursday, Raut said: “We requested the Governor that he should take stock of the situation in the state. If Shiv Sena wants to form a stable government for benefit of the state, we will take necessary action.”

He added that he was not giving an ultimatum to the BJP as “we are a simple party and people”.

The BJP has 105 MLAs in the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly, a loss of 17 seats compared to its 2014 tally. The Sena's tally also came down to 56 seats from 63 in 2014. A resurgent NCP won 54 and the Congress bagged 44 seats.

The Sena on Thursday once again indicated it had not given up its claim to the post of chief minister, saying that equal sharing of power must mean sharing of the top post as well. Adopting a harsh tone, it accused the BJP of enacting a "second act" of the "use and throw" policy while dealing with its ally.