Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday invited the Shiv Sena to form the new government in the state, ANI reported. Earlier this evening, the Bharatiya Janata Party refused the governor’s offer, saying the party does not have the required numbers.

A party needs the support of 145 MLAs to form government in the 288-member Assembly. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 105 seats, and the Shiv Sena secured the second position with 56 seats in the Assembly elections held on October 21.

The governor asked Sena, and party MLA Eknath Shinde to indicate their “willingness and ability of his party to form the government in Maharashtra”.

The BJP and its alliance partner Shiv Sena had together obtained the numbers to form government. But The Shiv Sena demanded the chief minister’s post for two and a half years, which the BJP rejected. The BJP claimed that such a power-sharing agreement had never been made, and because of the tussle, the alliance was not able to stake its claim.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik said the party has called for a meeting of its MLAs on November 12. “If Shiv Sena wants our support, they will have to declare that they have no relation with BJP and they should pull out from National Democratic Alliance,” he said. “All their ministers will have to resign from Union Cabinet.”

He added that the NCP has not received any proposal from Shiv Sena for government formation. “The final decision will be taken by Congress and NCP together as declared by Pawar sahab,” Malik told ANI.

The BJP’s Maharashtra unit chief, Chandrakant Patil, met governor and conveyed the party’s decision to not form government. “The mandate of the people of Maharashtra was for the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance,” Patil said earlier in the day. “Sena has, however, disrespected the mandate, hence we have decided to not stake claim to form government. We have informed our decision to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.”

He wished Sena luck if it wanted to form the government with the help of the Opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.

“Party chief Uddhav Thackeray clearly said today that chief minister will be from Shiv Sena,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, according to ANI. “If Uddhav ji has said so, then it means that there will be CM from Shiv Sena, at any cost.”