Maharashtra assembly elections will take place in the month of October and ahead of it, the coalition government of BJP and Shiv Sena is heading for a split. The reason behind taking separate routes is seat-sharing. Shiv Sena wants 50-50 seat-sharing while BJP is against it.
A senior Shiv Sena leader said, “The Bharitya Janatha Party is not willing to give more than 120 seats to the Shiv Sena and we don’t approve of it. Before the announcement of alliance in February, Uddhavji and Bharitya Janatha Party President Amit Shah agreed to contest equal number of seats in the Assembly polls.”
Maharashtra has 288 assembly seats. Shiv Sena is ready for a 135 seats each formula with the BJP, while leaving 18 seats for their allies. But, BJP no longer seems willing to accept it.
A BJP leader said, “We have more seats. Why should there be 50-50 seat distribution when we have more seats?”
Few days ago, Uddhav Thackeray told Shiv Sena MLAs, MPs and office-bearers that they “should not remain relaxed, and should prepare to fight the elections single handedly on all 288 seats”.
BJP president JP Nadda, who was on a tour of Maharashtra, told his party leaders to prepare as they are “fighting on all 288 seats”.