Lok Sabha Polls | BJP to contest on 25 seats, Shiv Sena 23 in Maharashtra: Reports

Despite bitter relations, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena have reportedly agreed on contesting the Lok Sabha election 2019 in Maharashtra together. According to reports, the BJP will contest on 25 out of total 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while the Shiv Sena will fight on rest of the seats. The Uddhav Thackeray’s party had contested on 22 seats, while the BJP fielded its candidates on 26 seats in the 2014 General Elections. The BJP has decided not to field any candidate from the Palghar Lok Sabha constituency from where Shiv Sena will now contest.

For the Assembly elections, the BJP will contest on 145 of the total 288 seats, with the Shiv Sena getting the remaining 143 seats, reported Zee News.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena had publicly announced to go solo in elections. However, BJP chief Amit Shah had said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party would continue its alliance with BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls

"Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is frequently in touch with the Shiv Sena leadership at the state level. The Shiv Sena is already a part of the Central and state governments and it would continue its alliance with the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections", he had said in December last year.

The Sena, which is the oldest constituent of the NDA, had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the BJP, but severed the ties ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections held in October that year.

The Sena later joined the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and Centre, though grudgingly, as it was averse to play second fiddle to BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in the polls.

(With PTI inputs)