Sena-BJP seat deal likely in two days; MNS may contest

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said the announcement of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -Sena alliance for the Maharashtra Assembly elections was expected

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said the announcement of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -Sena alliance for the Maharashtra Assembly elections was expected in a day or two, but insisted that the equal seat-sharing agreement fixed before the Lok Sabha polls would stay. The alliance of the ruling parties is expected to be finalised during BJP chief Amit Shah’s visit to Mumbai on Sunday.

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Thackeray also chose not to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latter’s remarks on the Ram temple issue on Thursday. “We would wait for the court verdict,” he said.

Amid speculation that the BJP could offer fewer seats to the Sena, Thackeray stressed on the 50:50 seat ratio, after setting aside seats for smaller allies of the BJP. Thackeray said he has asked CM Devendra Fadnavis to decide the seats for the Sena, following which he would take the opinion of Sena leaders. The Maharashtra Assembly has 288 seats.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is likely to contest approximately 100 seats in the Assembly elections, with their focus on Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Pune, where the party has received significant support since its formation. There are indications that MNS may have an informal alliance with NCP. It had not contested the Lok Sabha polls, but supported the Congress-NCP’s candidates.