With the NDA all set to retain Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday thanked the people for the mandate but also raised questions over whether the BJP or his party will get the chief minister's seat in the state.
"The important question is who will be the chief minister? When the Lok Sabha elections were held we had decided on the 50-50 formula in the state. (BJP state chief) Chandrakant Patil raised some issues this time which we understood but we can only tolerate so much. After all, we have to run our party too. If the need arises Amit (Shah) Ji should come here to carry out what was decided earlier," Thackeray said at a press conference here.
"Discussions should be held over what was decided and then it will be decided who the chief minister will be," added Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena chief also thanked the people for the mandate, terming it an 'eye-opener' for all the parties in Maharashtra.
"The people have kept alive democracy in this election. The mandate given by them is an eye-opener for all the parties in the state. We bow down to the votes given by the people in our favour and will work with the same attitude for them," Thackeray said.
Expressing satisfaction over the decisive win of his son Aaditya Thackeray from Worli seat, he said: "As a parent, I am proud of Aaditya's victory and I love the fact that the people have given him their support."
Aaditya Thackeray won from Mumbai's Worli assembly constituency, beating NCP's Suresh Mane by a margin of over 67 thousand votes, according to the Election Commission (EC).
Aaditya, the 29-year-old son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, is the first member of the family in the party's history to contest the election.
The junior Thackeray was pitted against Mane of NCP, Gautam Anna Gaikwad of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Vishram Tida Padam in Worli assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, the BJP has won 36 seats while it is leading in 65 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena has won 28 seats and is ahead on 30 seats, as per official trends from the EC.
Congress-NCP, on the other hand, has won 38 seats while its candidates are ahead in 60 seats
There are 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly. The counting of votes began at 8 am today. The state went to polls in a single phase on October 21.
( With inputs from ANI )