india

Updated: Jul 18, 2020 21:39 IST

The Shiv Sena took a swipe at Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday and called him the “outgoing chief minister”.

The Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said that Fadnavis seemed to be at a “loss for words” after his meeting with BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday.

The Sena and the BJP have been allies for the past 30 years and contested the state polls in a coalition. The allies have been sparring since the polls results were announced on October 24.

The Sena has insisted on a 50:50 power sharing formula with both the parties sharing the chief minister’s post for two-and-a-half years each. Fadnavis has said there was no such agreement with the Sena.

The Sena mouthpiece on Tuesday said that after his meet with Shah, the onus is on Fadnavis to take the next step.

“The outgoing chief minister, who came back to Maharashtra from the polluted Delhi, will have to take the next step forward. His next step will determine the further course of action,” said the editorial read.

After his meeting with Shah, Fadnavis assured that a new government would soon be formed in Maharashtra. “I or anyone from the BJP will not give any reaction on the ongoing speculation and comments being made about government formation in Maharashtra. We are completely assured and a new government will be formed in the state,” Fadnavis said.

The BJP won 105 seats in the election results that were announced last month. The Shiv Sena won 56, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 54 and the Congress 44. The majority mark is 145.

The Shiv Sena adopted a tough stand when Fadnavis said that there was no 50:50 agreement between the two allies. The Sena has also sent feelers to the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, but the opposition parties have not officially responded.

Sharad Pawar met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday evening and briefed her about the ground situation in Maharashtra. Senior Congress leader AK Antony was also present in the meeting.

The term of the outgoing Maharashtra assembly ends on November 9. If no government is in place by the deadline, President’s Rule could be imposed.