Sharing of 288 seats in Maha bigger exercise than India-Pak partition: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that sharing of 288 seats amongst the coalition members of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Maharashtra is a bigger exercise than India-Pakistan partition.

"Maharashtra is a big state. The sharing of 288 seats is a bigger exercise than India-Pakistan partition. Had we sat in Opposition instead of being in govt the picture today would have been different," Raut told ANI.

Raut went on to say that Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are relaxed about the seat-sharing formula and a decision on the same would be informed by the coalition to the media soon.

"There is greater concern about the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition in the media than in our parties. We are relaxed. The leaders of both the parties are sharing positive discussions on seat-sharing for the elections. Whatever will be the decision, we will inform the media shortly," he said.

Raut had earlier said on September 19 that if his party did not get half seats to contest in the upcoming Maharashtra polls then the alliance between the two parties could break.

"BJP will have to respect the fifty-fifty formulae that was decided in presence of Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. I am not talking of breaking alliance but what Diwakar Raote has said is not wrong," said Sanjay Raut.

Diwakar Raote, senior Shiv Sena leader and Minister in Maharashtra government had on Wednesday said that if not given an equal number of seats by the BJP, the pre-poll alliance between the two parties could break.

The BJP and Shiv Sena contested 2014 state assembly elections separately after they failed to arrive at a seat-sharing formula. However, they formed the government in the alliance after the elections as none of them was able to secure the majority on its own.

Elections to elect the 288 members of Legislative Assembly will be held on October 21. The counting of votes shall take place on October 24.