The Shiv Sena doesn't seem to be giving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an inch of space to maneuver in the alliance talks. It is reliably learnt that the Sena will forge a pact with the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls, only if the latter agrees to share the Chief Minister's post between the two parties, if they retain power in Maharashtra.

A senior Sena leader said one of party's Rajya Sabha MPs has been sent to the BJP bosses in New Delhi, with a message in this regard. He said the Sena wants the top post's five-year tenure to be split in two halves, and shared. The Sena wants the agreement signed by the stakeholders, he added. There was no official confirmation from either parties, but some leaders endorsed it saying they had heard about the development.