NO 50-50 DEAL SAYS FADNAVIS AS BJP, SENA HARDEN STANDS

MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday challenged the Shiv Sena’s claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agreed to share the CM’S post with its partner for half the government’s five-year term as neither side budged on the terms of cabinet formation a week after the assembly election.

Soon after Fadnavis’ statement rebutting his party’s claim, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray cancelled a planned 4 pm meeting with the BJP on government formation, likely worsening the already strained relationship between the BJP and its oldest political ally.

“Union minister Prakash Javdekar and party leader Bhupendra Yadav were supposed to attend the meeting to start discussions on formation of the next government from the BJP side, while the Sena would have been represented by Subhash Desai and Sanjay Raut,” Press Trust of India quoted a Sena leader, whom it didn’t name, as saying.

“Fadnavis should mind his words while making such statements,” the senior leader added.the Sena also released an old video clip in which Fadnavis spoke about “sharing posts and responsibilities” equally.

Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut confirmed the cancellation of the meeting. “Discussions between BJP-SHIV Sena were scheduled for today. But now if the CM himself is saying that the 50-50 formula was not discussed then what will we even talk about? So Uddhavji has cancelled today’s meeting,” Raut said.

Fadnavis said earlier in the day that the BJP never agreed to the so-called “50-50 formula”.