Sanjay Raut meets NCP's Sharad Pawar as Shiv Sena, BJP stalemate continues

As the tussle over power stretches in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday met National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai on Wednesday.

On being asked about the purpose of the meeting, Raut quickly said that it was just a "courtesy meeting."

"It was a courtesy meeting. He (Sharad Pawar) is a senior leader of the state and the country. He is worried about the political situation in Maharashtra today. We had a brief discussion," the Shiv Sena leader said.

As the deadline for government formation in Maharashtra is fast approaching, Shiv-Sena is not ready to settle for any anything less than an equal share of power as Sanjay Raut on Wednesday outrightly denied the possibility of reaching any new settlement with BJP except the one (50:50) that was allegedly agreed upon prior to polls.

BJP and Shiv Sena are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war with the latter refusing to soften stand on its demands for equal sharing of Cabinet portfolios and the chief minster's tenure of 2.5 years.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 105 seats while Shiv Sena got 56 in the 288-member state assembly. The results of assembly polls were announced on October 24.