Sena may revive alliance if BJP accepts 50:50 deal

New Delhi: Amid ongoing talks between the Congress, the NCP and Shiv Sena over a tie-up for government formation in Maharashtra, the Sena on Tuesday said that it is still happy to "revive its alliance" with the BJP if the latter agreed to their '50-50' demand.

The Shiv Sena, which is adamant on the chief ministership is also aware that the BJP is chasing the NCP for an alliance to prevent the Sena from staking a claim.

While the Maha-Shiv-Agadhi, the first-of-its-kind three-way alliance, is still on track, NCP chief Sharad Pawar gave a cryptic response on Monday fuelling rumours that the coalition may not form the government.

Responding to a reporter who asked about Sena's talks with the NCP, Pawar, in a single word, countered, "Really?"

Nevertheless, the NCP supremo also rejected the idea of allying with the BJP saying there was no question of supporting the party. "We will have discussions with the Congress, our partner," he said.

However, the Congress has also been wary of an alliance with the ideologically contrasting Shiv Sena as it is worried that such a coalition would cause loss of Muslim supporters in states like Kerala.

The BJP's three-decades-old ally-turned rival, the Shiv Sena reached out to the opposition alliance for combined support to form Maharashtra government after a massive post-poll showdown with the former caused their pact to collapse.