Always given 'big brother' status to BJP in national politics: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut

As BJP-led NDA set for another term at the Centre after pulling off a stunning victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Friday that his party has always recognised BJP as big brother in national politics.

"We have always given the status of big brother to BJP in national politics. There is no leader left who can outmatch him. And I don't see any leader like him in the next 25 years," Raut told ANI a day after BJP and Shiv Sena swept polls winning 23 and 18 seats respectively in Maharashtra out of 48 parliamentary constituencies.

In January, before BJP and Shiv Sena reached an agreement about contesting Lok Sabha elections and impending Assembly polls together, Raut had said, "We were the big brother in Maharashtra. We are the big brother and will stay as the big brother."

However, both parties decided to fight General elections together after a meeting between BJP president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackery followed by a press conference.

Speaking on Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, Raut further said, "Our fights were not personal. There was only ideological war in the last four years. But we were together for 25 years. When we think there is no leader like Modiji who can take the country forward, we decided to support BJP once again. Our decision was right."

"We have seen the condition of Chandrababu. The country has rejected whosoever was against Modi," he said.

The Shiv Sena leader further said there was "Modi wave" in the country and the NDA allies have definitely got benefitted because of it.

When asked to comment to Congress' defeat, he said. "People have not accepted the language they have used against the Prime Minister."

BJP-Shiv Sena last month finalised a plan to contest the upcoming elections jointly. While BJP will contest on 25 seats, Shiv Sena will contest on 23 seats.

Although both the parties have been in alliance for past several decades, they broke up in 2014 for a brief time just before the legislative elections in Maharashtra. BJP demanded a higher share of seats which Shiv Sena was not willing to concede.

Speaking at a press conference in February, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said, "For Maharashtra Assembly elections, we will hold discussions with our other allies too. After leaving seats to them, BJP and Shiv Sena will fight on an equal number of Assembly seats."

In 2015 Assembly polls, BJP won 122 while Shiv Sena managed to win only 63 seats out of 288 legislative seats.