MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leaders met with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari Thursday evening as the standoff with ally BJP over its "50:50" arrangement for rotational chief ministership continued to delay government formation in the state a week after the verdict.
This is their second solo meeting with the Governor this week. On Monday the Sena and the BJP held separate meetings with the Governor.
Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray - a debutant MLA and the first of his family to ever contest an election - said the delegation discussed financial aid for farmers hit by rain.
"I will not talk about government formation. Uddhav ji will say whatever needs to be said on that... his word is final," Aaditya Thackeray told reporters after the meeting.
The row started as Uddhav Thackeray, soon after the Maharashtra poll results last week, issued a reminder to the BJP of a "50:50" deal in talks with BJP president Amit Shah before the national elections. In the arrangement, the BJP and the Sena would keep the chief minister's post for two and a half years each.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promptly said there was no such deal and has stuck to that stand. Even when the BJP conceded the arrangement was discussed with the Sena, Fadnavis said if there had been any such decision, it was not in his presence.
In a meeting earlier Thursday in which the Sena chose Eknath Shinde as its legislative party leader, Uddhav Thackeray reportedly expressed disappointment with the BJP.
"So far we have not received any proposal from the BJP. I am in regular touch with the Chief Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but no official proposal has come to Shiv Sena," Thackeray reportedly told his party MLAs.
He also said it was important to form the government soon as a delay was not good. "We don't need anything more than what was decided as a formula," the Sena chief reportedly said.
Sena MLAs are keen to have Aaditya Thackeray as chief minister for half the term.
In a related development, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at the latter's residence in Mumbai. As his meeting with Pawar triggered many speculations, Raut called it only a "courtesy visit".