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Updated: Nov 07, 2019 13:05 IST

The Shiv Sena on Thursday launched yet another attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of trying to poach recently elected lawmakers as the stand-off between the two warring allies over government formation in Maharashtra continued.

The allegation came on a day Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting of party legislators. The party chief is expected to seek the views of the MLAs on the ongoing political scenario in the state and discuss the way forward, even as the BJP is expected to meet the Governor today.

Partners of 30 years, the BJP and the Sena have been locked in a tussle over a power-sharing pact since the results of the assembly elections were announced on October 24. While the BJP is the single-largest party with 105 seats, the Sena has 56 seats in the 288-member Assembly. The stand-off has been over sharing the chief minister’s post and important ministerial berths, with the Sena insisting that an agreement was reached on a “50-50 formula” before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.The BJP has denied that there was any such arrangement.

“Whoever has the numbers will form the government and become the chief minister, this is our opinion. But if corruption is used to manage the numbers then the people will not forgive it,” the editorial said.

The write-up added that there were “complaints” that some people were “in touch with new MLAs, and all this is being done with the backing and blessings of BJP leaders or the chief minister”.

“The previous government is trying to form the new government with money power. But no one is helping farmers, hence farmers want a Sena CM…Some people are trying to win over new Sena MLAs to with money power. Such complaints are increasing. Sena will not allow a politics devoid of values in the state,” the editorial said.

Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who is the executive editor of Saamana, clarified on Thursday morning that he did not mean Sena MLAs are being poached. “No one can dare to get in touch with our legislators. People from other parties have given us information that they are attempts to get in touch with them, luring them,” he told reporters. He also denied that Sena MLAs would be shifted to an unknown location after the meeting with party chief stating that there was “no need”.

Reacting to the editorial, state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant tweeted: “Shiv Sena is an alliance partner of @BJP4India and part of #Mahayuti If it feels scared that #BJP will poach their MLAs, then we can very well understand how much #BJP is morally corrupt and why we must save Maharashtra from them. Does#Mahayuti hv moral rights to form govt now?”