As Maharashtra’s political turmoil triggered by internecine strife within the ruling Shiv Sena entered its sixth day on Sunday, Sena MP Sanjay Raut revealed that had the BJP kept its promise of sharing the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s post with his party for two-and-a-half years, then Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray himself would have put forward rebel Sena Minister Eknath Shinde’s name as the Chief Minister.
Mr. Raut, who had earlier said that the Shiv Sena’s doors were closed for Mr. Shinde and the rebel MLAs, also said that he was still in talks with a section of legislators holed up in Guwahati while hinting at the possibility that they would be taken into the Sena’s fold if they returned to Mumbai.
“I have just spoken with some rebel Sena MLAs. The Shiv Sena’s doors are still open for those who want to return,” Mr. Raut told mediapersons in Mumbai.
