Shiv Sena boss Uddhav Thackeray on Friday reminded alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party about their seat sharing pact sealed in February and asked Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to indicate the seats from where the Sena should field its candidates.
“I expect it (the list from Fadnavis) to come in a day or two. I will then put it before senior party leaders and announce the alliance,” the Sena chief told reporters on Friday.
Thackeray’s comment comes against the backdrop of a tug-of-war over the number of seats that the two allies would contest in the state elections. BJP leaders have spoken about a larger share of seats for the party.
Sena chief reference to the February pact between the two partners is a reminder to the BJP about the 50:50 seat sharing formula that the two parties had agreed on ahead of the national elections. Under this plan, the two parties would keep aside 18 of the state’s 288-member assembly for the BJP-led NDA’s smaller allies.
“The formula for the alliance had been discussed in detail and decided before the Lok Sabha election between me, Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Instead of demanding, I have asked the chief minister to decide the seats for Shiv Sena. I expect it to come in a day or two. I will then put it before senior party leaders and then announce the alliance,” Thackeray told reporters at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar.
{{/usCountry}}“The formula for the alliance had been discussed in detail and decided before the Lok Sabha election between me, Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Instead of demanding, I have asked the chief minister to decide the seats for Shiv Sena. I expect it to come in a day or two. I will then put it before senior party leaders and then announce the alliance,” Thackeray told reporters at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar.
{{/usCountry}}The final announcement of the seats is expected on Sunday when BJP national president Amit Shah will be in Mumbai for a party event. Thackeray, Shah and Fadnavis could meet to iron out the seat-sharing agreement and announce it.
The Sena chief had convened a meeting of its ministers and senior leaders on Friday afternoon to seek their views on the seat sharing with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Party ministers, who were present in the meeting, said they are positive about the alliance but wanted a “respectable” number of seats for its party. “We are positive about the alliance the seat sharing talks are still in with BJP leaders. If the offer is respectable then it will be better,” said a senior Sena leader who was present in the meeting.