Bal Thackeray was a man of his word, BJP going back on its promises of 50:50 formula: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday lashed out at prospective ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a party meeting, claiming that Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray was a man of his word and the BJP should remember that and abide by their earlier promise of a 50-50 formula for power-sharing in Maharashtra.

Uddhav also said that they're insisting on the very formula that was promised to them by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a meeting before the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. The Shiv Sena chief said that his party is not power-hungry and just wants to follow up on whatever was promised to them.

Uddhav Thackeray also said that the Shiv Sena had a rightful claim on the Chief Minister's post because the party had performed well in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections. He said the post was not always permanent for any one person.

Ramping up his attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav said that the reason for the BJP-Shiv Sena talks coming to a halt is Fadnavis' informal interview to the media on Diwali. The Shiv Sena chief said that the MLAs from other parties, including the Congress and NCP, are also in touch with him.

Fadnavis has said that he will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra and denied having any talks on 50:50 seat-sharing formula with Uddhav Thackeray's party.  "I assure you that this will be a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government. I will be the CM for the next five years, there is no doubt about it," Fadnavis said.

Earlier on Thursday, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had said that the MLAs from other parties were in touch with the Shiv Sena. On the other hand, Shiv Sena supremo had then said in a meeting of newly-elected MLAs of his party that they should not believe in rumours. Uddhav added that the Shiv Sena is yet to receive an offer from any political party but remarked that some parties are putting forward their proposals through media.

Shiv Sena has been stressing on the fact that there should be an equal distribution of power and portfolios between the Sena and the BJP in Maharashtra. Both the parties are currently engaged in a psychological tussle in Maharashtra over the issue of government formation in the state, trying to woo the 13 elected Independent MLAs in order to amp up their respective bargaining powers in a struggle for more control.

In Maharashtra, the BJP is facing an uphill task as it fell short of the majority by a huge margin. The BJP and Shiv Sena contested the recently-held Maharashtra assembly elections together and won 105 and 56 seats, respectively. But the Shiv Sena's demand of "50-50 formula" for power-sharing has delayed the government formation.