In a shocking revelation, Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil on Wednesday claimed that 14 to 15 BJP MLAs from the state are in touch with the ruling alliance in the state, but has informed that the government will not commit the mistake of poaching opposition legislators.

"Fourteen to fifteen MLAs of the opposition party are in touch with us even today. We have to do their works as we share good relations with them (the MLAs concerned). We understand their mindset," PTI quoted Patil as saying outside the state legislature complex.

"Yet, it is not right to poach legislators...We don't intend to make that mistake. Our focus is on ensuring our government sustains," he added.

This comes a day after the ruling Congress party in Madhya Pradesh had alleged that some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are resorting to horse-trading in order to bring down the Kamal Nath-led government.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also told news agency ANI that a senior leader of the BJP took suspended Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Ramabai to Delhi in a charted flight but she came back despite BJP leaders trying to stop her.

Singh also alleged that the BJP is trying to 'poach' Congress MLAs in the state.

In December last year, the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena coalition formed the government in Maharashtra.

On November 23, NCP leader Ajit Pawar had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister under then BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the two-man government could last just 80 hours as Pawar resigned. 

BJP and Shiv Sena fought the elections together and had a comfortable majority to form the government but the two parties didn't reach any consensus on the '50-50 formula' that led to the break-up of ties.