The Shiv Sena was in touch with the NCP and the Congress before the results of the Maharashtra assembly polls came out in October last year as it knew that the BJP would not keep its "promise", senior party leader Sanjay Raut claimed here on Wednesday.
Notably, ahead of the formation of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Pawar had always maintained that the NCP's mandate was to sit in opposition.
"It was (NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena
When asked whether the three parties had decided about a coalition before the assembly poll results, which were declared on October 24, Raut replied, "You can say so".
"We knew it. In
Responding to a query, the Rajya Sabha (RS) MP said the Sena had
"A lot of things happened during the seat-sharing talks (with the BJP) for the assembly polls which made us believe that the BJP would not keep its promise," Raut claimed.
He also exuded confidence that the Sena-led coalition government will last the full five-year term.
"Our government is not like a test tube baby. It formally took birth, it was christened, and it will celebrate its birthday also," he said.
He refuted claims that the Sena has accepted a secondary position in the government under Sharad Pawar.
"The formation of a government was necessary and all the three parties came together to give Maharashtra a new direction," Raut added.
When asked about the Sena
"There are political differences, but leaders from all the three parties love their country," he said.
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