We have mandate to sit in opposition, no strategy to support Shiv Sena: Maharashtra Cong chief Thorat

Congress' Maharashtra unit president Bala Saheb Thorat on Friday said that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and his party have no strategy of forging an alliance with the Shiv Sena as both the parties have got mandate to sit in the opposition.

Thorat met Congress general secretary KC Venugopal at the party headquarters here along with senior leaders Manikrao Thackerey and Vijay Wadettiwar.

Speaking to ANI, Thorat said: "This was our first meeting with the high command after the assembly results were announced. We had a detailed discussion with Venugopal ji on Maharashtra results and Congress' performance. We are analysing the political situation in Maharashtra."

Asked if the NCP-Congress was mulling to support Shiv Sena from outside, he said: "We do not have that strategy. We are just watching how things unfold. We have got the mandate to sit in the opposition. They are fighting just to get a bigger share in the government."

The Congress leader further said the fight is between the BJP and the Shiv Sena over the power share.

In the recently concluded Maharashtra elections, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the assembly polls with the former emerging as the single largest party in the state with 105 seats.

However, they are yet to stake the claim for the formation of the government in the state.The Shiv Sena claims that there was a 50-50 power-sharing agreement between the two parties but Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the ally was not promised the chief minister's post for two-and-a-half years when the alliance was finalised before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.The Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats in the elections. NCP won 54 seats in the assembly while the Congress won 44 seats in the 288-member assembly.