Maharashtra: Athawale miffed over being 'sidelined'

Miffed over not getting any seats in the alliance of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, Union Minister and Republican Party of India (RPI) Chief Ramdas Athawale said on Monday that he was capable of "sidelining" those who did so with him.

"If someone sidelines me then I have the power to sideline him. This is good that BJP-Shiv Sena came together. There is a need to call me when the alliance was announced in the presence of BJP President Amit Shah," he added.

RPI supremo Athawale said, "BJP-Shiv Sena came together but they left RPI party, this message has gone wrong in the entire country. They did not give seat to RPI. There is a possibility to change the situation; our demands are not that big."

Athawale has been demanding that he would like to contest from Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha seat.

Earlier he said, "One seat should be given to our party. It was RPI (A) who brought them together in power. Forgetting that, they kept us aside and announced their seats. Now, we want to get Mumbai South central seat and I myself want to fight elections from there. I have talked to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about it and even told him that our party should get representation in the Lok Sabha," the Union Minister added.

The Shiv Sena will fight on 23 seats and BJP on 25 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where 48 seats are at stake.

The two parties have agreed to contest an equal number of seats in the Assembly polls.