Sena didn't agree on seat-sharing: Fadnavis on poll-eve split

Says BJP even offered Sena 147 seats, while retaining 127 for Assembly polls last year, but they didn't oblige

Shiv Sena's adamant stand led to the breaking of alliance with BJP ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year, Chief Minister Fadnavis said today.

"We even went to the extent of offering them 147 seats while keeping 127 with us (for the Assembly polls last year). But they didn't oblige. So we had to go alone," Fadnavis said in an informal chat here.

"Prior to the election, there was a mentality that we won't be able to win alone because votes will get divided. But that changed after the election," he said.

"But this does not mean we will leave the Shiv Sena now," said the Chief Minister, who is in Kolhapur to attend the party's state executive meet that will conclude today.

Defending BJP's decision to part ways with long time partner Sena ahead of Assembly polls last year, Fadnavis had yesterday said the split of the saffron allies brought out the true strength of the BJP.

"If we had not taken this decision (of parting ways with Sena), we would have never known our true strength. Our realisation of our strength has helped us become the largest party in the world," he had said.

Before the Assembly elections in October last year, BJP snapped ties with Shiv Sena following the failure to strike out a seat-sharing formula acceptable to both. After fighting each other, the Sena joined the ministry a month after Fadnavis assumed as Chief Minister.