Shiv Sena will not be an obstacle in government formation in Maharashtra: Sanjay Raut after meeting Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari

Amidst bitter tug-of-war over the formation of government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut along with his party leaders met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari on Monday in Raj Bhavan.

After meeting the Governor, Raut said, "Since there is a confusion over the formation of government in Maharashtra the Sena will not be an obstacle." He added that the party which won the maximum seats should be allowed to form the government. Notably, the BJP has emerged as the largest party in the state with 105 MLAs, while the Shiv Sena got elected 56 members in the legislative assembly.

Raut said that the Shiv Sena submitted its proposal for the earliest government formation in Maharashtra. He added, "We wanted to tell him that we are not responsible for the present situation that in Maharashtra."

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Earlier in the day, Sanjay Raut said that his meeting with Governor Koshyari would be a mere `courtesy visit`. Speaking to media persons in Mumbai, Raut said, "It is a courtesy visit. He is a very experienced leader as he has been a union minister and a chief minister. Due to the elections, I was unable to meet him earlier."

"I have spoken to Uddhav (Thackeray) Ji. We will talk to him about the prevailing situation with regard to the formation of government in the state," he added.

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war over the equal distribution of Cabinet portfolios and sharing of chief minister`s post. While the BJP is firm on their stand that Devendra Fadnavis will become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena is seeking an equal term for the chief minister`s post.

On Sunday, Raut had claimed that that 170 MLAs are supporting his party and that the number could even increase to 175. He, however, did not say who was supporting Shiv Sena. With 56 elected MLAs, Shiv Sena also has the support of three independents.

Parties such as Congress and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are making contradictory statements regarding their role in the government formation. To form a non-BJP government in the state, the Sena would need the support of the Congress as well as the NCP.