Mumbai: Minutes after Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis began to lead from Nagpur South West constituency, the BJP and its ally, the Shiv Sena, called for a press conference to address the media on their next step.

Addressing the media, Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena chief said that the people have given a reality check.

"People of Maharashtra have given a reality check. People have kept democracy alive. One thing is for sure that for the next five years, people in power would have to work with full credibility and responsibility. Who will be the chief minister, this question is very important. We have decided on a 50-50 formula, we decided on 144 seats each. Whatever formula was decided, according to that, we will take steps with full transparency," the Shiv Sena chief said.

Minutes after Uddhav Thackeray concluded the press meet, Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, from his party headquarters, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for their support.

He also said that his party does not wish to bargain with its ally. Fadnavis further said that 15 independent and rebel candidates are in touch him and that the numbers may rise. This is seen as an attempt to combat Shiv Sena's '50:50' argument.

"According to what we decided between Shiv Sena and us (BJP), we are going ahead with it. What has been decided is something which you will get to know when the time is right," Fadnavis added.

The Sena has been pushing for the BJP to honour the 50-50 seat-sharing formula struck between Uddhav Thackeray and Amit Shah before elections. It also hinted at a rotational CM formula in Maharashtra.

He also added that earlier those who had defected from the party now want to come back into its fold.

All said and done, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is set to win more seats than the Congress, and almost as many as the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

Presently, according to the Election Commission of India, the BJP has won 52 seats, Shiv Sena has won 39 seats, NCP with 30 seats and Congress has won 24 seats. The counting is still underway.