A Shiv Sena leader on Tuesday announced his resignation after the party decided to form an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra.

Sena leader Ramesh Solanki in a series of tweets said his conscience and ideology did not permit him to work with the Congress. “Congratulations and all the best for forming government in Maharashtra and [for] having Shiv Sena chief minister,” Solanki tweeted.

Solanki said he had been with the Shiv Sena for 21 years and had seen many ups and downs until his party made a “political decision” and joined hands with the Congress.

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He added that he would “always remain Balasaheb’s Shiv Sainik” at heart.

The BJP had won 105 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, results of which were announced on October 24. The Shiv Sena, which was in an alliance with the BJP, won 56 seats. Despite having enough to form a government together, the two allies bickered over power-sharing – the chief minister’s post and Cabinet portfolios – resulting in the Shiv Sena starting negotiations with the ideologically different Congress and Nationalist Congress Party instead.

Hours after the three parties finalised an alliance last week, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis was on Saturday morning sworn in as the state’s chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar as his deputy in a surprise development.

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The resignations were set in motion with the Supreme Court verdict on Tuesday that asked Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ensure a floor test is conducted by 5 pm on Wednesday for Fadnavis to prove majority in the Assembly.

The leaders of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress met the governor late on Tuesday to stake claim to form the next government. The swearing-in ceremony of the new Uddhav Thackeray-led government will take place on Thursday at the Shivaji Park stadium.

Also read:

BJP’s gambit failed – but how long will unwieldy Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance last?