Shiv Sena's chief minister will rule for 5 years: Sanjay Raut

As the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena are slated to hold final deliberations over government formation today, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the chief minister will be from his party and will remain incumbent for the full term of the alliance government.

"Chief Minister will be of Shiv Sena and Sena's chief minister will be there for full 5 years," said Sanjay Raut, addressing a press conference here on Friday.

"The people of Maharashtra and Shiv Sainik want Uddhav Thackeray to be the chief minister," said Raut.

This comes at a time when NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena are holding hectic deliberations and talks and are inching closer towards government formation in Maharashtra.

Smaller allies of NCP-Congress will hold meetings with the leaders of the alliance today to work out final modalities and their role in the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' (NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena) government in the state. The meeting which will take place at 12 pm, comes hours ahead of the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena meeting scheduled at 4 pm today.

Maharashtra came under President's Rule on November 12 after all the parties failed to form a government in the state. The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party, could not stake claim to form a government as its ally Shiv Sena remained firm on rotating the Chief Minister's post and equal sharing of Cabinet berths.

Shiv Sena parted its ways with BJP to explore ways to form a government. It, however, failed to prove the support of the required number of MLAs in the time given by state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

The Governor had then invited NCP, the third-largest party, to prove its ability to form the government failing which President's Rule was imposed in the state.

The Shiv Sena is now in talks with the Congress and NCP to form a government in Maharashtra.

The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44.