Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has backed state minister Diwakar Raote's statement that their alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could break if they do not get 144 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly election.

Raote had made the comment while speaking to a regional television channel. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has a total of 288 seats that go to polls.

“If the 50:50 seat-sharing formula was decided upon by (BJP President) Amit Shah ji and the Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis), then his (Diwakar Raote’s) statement is not wrong,” Raut said according to news agency ANI.

“Chunaav sath ladenge, kyun nahi ladenge (We will contest the election together. Why wouldn’t we?),” he added.

A mutually agreeable seat-sharing formula for upcoming polls is still eluding the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena.

Also read: Shiv Sena to play second fiddle as BJP demands more seats

On the other hand, rivals Congress sand the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have already agreed on a seat-sharing pact. The two parties would be contesting 125 seats each and will be giving the remaining 38 seats to smaller allies.

A formal decision on the pre-poll alliance is likely only after CM Devendra Fadnavis concludes the third phase of his ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra’.

During the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested separately, as did the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

In the multi-cornered contest, the BJP won 122 seats, Sena 63 seats, Congress 42 seats and NCP 41 seats in the 288-member Assembly.

Also read: Shiv Sena rakes up issues to put BJP in dock amid seat-sharing row

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on September 18 expressed confidence that the two traditional partners will seal an alliance.

Gadkari, who hails from Maharashtra, said, "I feel BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will take place."

Smaller partners within the NDA have also been seeking more seats for themselves.

Union Minister and Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief Ramdas Athawale said BJP and the Sena should leave 18 seats for the other allies, including 10 for his party.