BJP leaders say in backchannel talks with Shiv Sena, positive outcome soon

The BJP and Shiv Sena are engaged in back-channel talks on government formation and a positive outcome is expected to be announced in a few days, BJP sources said.

The positive direction of backchannel talks has put an end to speculation about government formation, they said.

Sources also confirmed that initially, 12 to 14 leaders will take oath as cabinet ministers along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

They said discussion between the two parties, who fought the assembly polls in an alliance, was at a "concluding stage" and will be over in the next couple of days.

Senior BJP leaders are slated to hold a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday to "seal the deal".

The BJP sources said "discussions were moving positively" towards the formation of the alliance government in the state.

Another BJP leader Rao Saheb Danve told the media on Monday that his party and Shiv Sena were on good terms and will form a government soon.

"We fought the elections together and we should respect the people's mandate. We will talk and decide together and the government will be formed by BJP- Shiv Sena alliance only."

Shiv Sena has said that the two parties had a "50-50" power-sharing agreement before the elections but Devendra Fadnavis later noted that Shiv Sena was not promised post of minister for two-and-a-half years when the alliance was formalised before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP had emerged as the single largest party by winning 105 seats in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly polls while the Shiv Sena got 56 seats in the 288-member state Assembly.