2 days after pact, BJP-Sena ministers make conflicting claims

Just two days after their parties inked a pre-poll deal, senior ministers of the BJP and Shiv Sena Wednesday spoke in different voices over "sharing" the chief minister's post.

BJP minister Chandrakant Patil said his party is of the view that the alliance partner winning more seats (after this year's Assembly poll) would get the CM's post.

Rubbishing Patil's contention, Sena minister Ramdas Kadam said his party forged the alliance with the BJP after there was an agreement to share the chief minister's post.

If the BJP does not wish to fulfil its commitment, it is free to break the pre-poll alliance immediately, he said.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday night told party workers at his residence here that he had rejected the formula proposing that the party winning maximum number of seats in assembly elections would get the post of chief minister.

"This formula was used by both parties (Sena and BJP) in the last 25 years. I have rejected it. What I have demanded is that both the parties get to share all posts equally," Thackeray said.

"The BJP has agreed to this, hence I have decided to forge the alliance," he said.

As per the tie-up announced Monday, the BJP sill contest 25 seats and Sena 23 of total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. For the assembly polls, the two parties will contest an equal number of seats after accommodating allies.

The BJP and the Sena had contested the 2014 assembly elections separately. Of total 288 seats, the BJP had won 122 seats and the Sena 63.

Kadam said as per the alliance agreement, all Constitutional posts will be equally shared by Sena and BJP. "This means the CM's post will also be equally shared. If this formula isn't acceptable to BJP leaders, we will ask Thackeray to call off the alliance. We are capable of contesting polls alone," he added.