Sena will split if Fadnavis forms govt sans its support: MLA

Independent MLA Ravi Rana, who has extended support to the BJP in Maharashtra, on Monday claimed that "some 25 MLAs" of the Shiv Sena were in touch with him over formation of the next government.

The MLA from Badnera in Amravati district dubbed the Sena as "very arrogant" and claimed the Uddhav Thackeray-led party will split and nearly two dozen MLAs will join the BJP if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis forms the next government without its saffron ally. The Sena has 56 MLAs.

Rana, along with his wife Navneet Kaur Rana, the Independent Lok Sabha member from Amravati, met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari here.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the MLA said, "The Shiv Sena has been very arrogant in the last five years. Fadnavis should put a check to it.

"In fact, there are some 25 MLAs of the Shiv Sena who are in touch with me for government formation. If Fadnavis forms a government without the Shiv Sena, in the next two months there will be a split in the Sena and some 25 MLAs would join the party."