Amid talks of govt formation with BJP, Shiv Sena claims to have support from 7 other MLAs

Shiv Sena has issued a list of seven MLAs supporting the party and has claimed its number in the Maharashtra Assembly to be 63, which is seven more than what it bagged in the recently concluded state Assembly elections.

As per the list issued by Shiv Sena's media and communication department, four independent MLAs, Manjula Gavit, Chandrakant Patil, Ashish Jaiswal and Narendra Bhondekar have extended their support to the party. Besides them, Bachchu Kadu and Rajkumar Patel of Prahar Janshkti Party and Shankarrao Gadakh of Krantikari Shetkari Party have also extended their support.

The list was released by Shiv Sena on a day when BJP legislators unanimously chose Devendra Fadnavis as their leader and BJP top brass is claiming that soon a government of 'Mahayuti' will be formed in Maharashtra with all allies including Shiv Sena.

Fadnavis on Wednesday said there should be no doubt that it will be a Mahayuti (BJP-Shiv Sena) government in Maharashtra.

Fadnavis was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party on Wednesday here.

During his speech at the legislative party meeting, Fadnavis said, "This mandate is surely for 'Mahayuti' (BJP-Shiv Sena alliance) as we sought votes for 'Mahayuti'. People also voted for it. So, there should be no doubt that it will be a 'Mahayuti' govt."

The meeting of the party comes amid a tussle between the BJP and Shiv Sena over the chief ministerial post in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena is demanding that power be shared between the two parties for a rotational basis.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly polls with the former emerging as the single largest party in the state with 105 seats in the 288 member assembly. Shiv Sena, on the other hand, bagged 56 seats in the elections.