Friends again, BJP-Shiv Sena set to announce seat-sharing deal for LS poll

Kashmir Times. Dated: 2/18/2019 11:41:06 PM

NEW DELHI, Feb 18 (Agencies): Paving the way for a pre-poll alliance in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, BJP president Amit Shah will meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to officially declare the seat-sharing on Monday.
The duo is expected to address a joint press conference in Mumbai which will also be attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "The discussions between the two leaders have concluded and an agreement for a pre-poll alliance has been taken," Siv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI.
Another top Sena leader, requesting anonymity, told IANS, "It is finalized. It will be closed around our proposed formula of 25-23 seats for BJP-Sena respectively in Lok Sabha and 50-50 in the Assembly. We shall announce the details formally this evening."
However, the issue of Shiv Sena's demand for the post of Chief Minister is yet to be resolved while on the other hand, various options are being put forth by the BJP on this front. The final decision on the CM's post will depend on how many seats each partner bags in the 288-member Assembly.
Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led governments at the Centre as well as in the state, has had constant bickerings with BJP lately. It has targeted the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale deal, the Ram temple issue, farm crisis and fuel prices, among others.
During the party's national executive meet in January last year, Shiv Sena had resolved to fight the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on its own.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP and Shiv Sena contested as alliance partners and won 41 seats out of a total of 48 at stake in Maharashtra. BJP had won 22 seats, while Shiv Sena 19. However, they contested the subsequent Assembly polls separately.

 

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