Aaditya Thackeray, senior Shiv Sena leaders meet governor amid power tussle with BJP

Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray led a delegation of party leaders who met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday amid the ongoing power struggle in the ruling alliance.

Though it is not clear what the delegation had discussed with the governor, a Sena leader said they sought prompt financial aid for farmers hit by untimely rains.

Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde, who was elected leader of the party's legislative wing earlier in the day, was also part of the delegation.

Interacting with media after meeting the governor, Aaditya Thackeray said his party hasn't heard anything from the BJP on power sharing. He added that his father and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take the final call on government formation.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena again indicated that it had not given up its claim on the post of Maharashtra chief minister, saying that equal sharing of power must mean sharing of the top post, too.

Adopting a harsh tone, it accused the BJP of enacting "second act" of the "use and throw" policy while dealing with its ally.

Uddhav Thackeray even declared that his party was in touch with opposition Congress and the NCP, sending an ominous message to the larger saffron party.

The power tussle between the saffron allies began soon after the results of the assembly elections were out on October 24, with the BJP failing to reach the halfway mark on its own and the Sena demanding  for an equal division of power.

In the polls to the 288-member assembly, the BJP won 105 seats, a loss of 17 seats compared to 2014, while the Sena's tally also came down to 56 seats from 63. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP won 54 and the Congress bagged 44 seats.