Shiv Sena leader tweets cartoon with election symbols, takes dig at BJP

A day after assembly election results in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday tweeted a cartoon to apparently reflect BJP's dependency on his party for formation of a government in the state.

The cartoon had Shiv Sena's symbol tiger smelling a lotus by holding it in an open paw with a clock hanging around its neck.

While lotus is election symbol of BJP, clock is that of Nationalist Congress Party and hand of the Congress.

The cartoon carried the lines "Bura Mano Diwali Hai (Don't mind, it's Diwali)".

The tiger wearing NCP symbol and showing open paw was apparently a reference to the three parties crossing the half-way mark if they come together to form government.

The BJP won 17 seats less compared to its 2014 tally in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena and BJP fought the elections in an alliance and share power in the state.

The BJP secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, Congress 44 and the Nationalist Congress Party 54 in the 288-member assembly.

Raut posted the cartoon hours after Sena took a dig at BJP through its mouthpiece Saamna saying, "there was no maha janadesh" and the results were in fact a rap on those "subsumed by the power of politics.