I will be CM for five years: Devendra Fadnavis refutes Shiv Sena's 50:50 formula claim

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said as quoted by NDTV, "There is no doubt in my mind that I will be Chief Minister for five years."

"Amit Shah (BJP president) told me no formula had been discussed for chief ministership," he added.

In an interesting comment, Fadnavis, who is now the caretaker Chief Minister of the western state, said the Sena did not make any demand.

However, the Sena leaders have repeatedly pushed for the 50:50 formula and also said "other options" are open for them fuelling speculations about the party's joining hands with the Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

As the poll results were declared on last Thursday, the BJP and Sena together won 161 seats with the saffron party getting 105 of them.

On Thursday itself, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray hinted at the 50:50 deal.

Thackeray said, "The Maharashtra Chief Minister will be chosen as per the pre-determined formula. We will sit with the BJP for that."

The Sena may push its young leader Aaditya Thackeray, who has won from Worli by over 67,000 votes, to become the Chief Minister as well. 

In a fresh attack on the BJP, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said "there is no Dushyant (Dushyant Chautala) here whose father is in jail".

Raut said this referring to Jannayak Janshakti Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala's support to the BJP to form the Haryana government after the saffron party failed to get the majority despite emerging as the single largest party.

Dushyant's father Ajay along with his father O P Chautala are serving jail term in connection with the teachers' recruitment scam. 

Image Credit: Devendra Fadnavis Twitter