Mumbai: AFter months of uncertainty, ahead of 2019 General Elections the BJP and Shiv Sena has sealed their alliance for the national election due by May.
BJP president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting at Thackeray’s Mumbai home Matoshree and the two addressed a joint press conference to announce the alliance.
“We have decided to come together for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
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Admitting that there were “some differences”, he said the parties shared the same ideology to meet the challenge of “some people coming together”.
Interacting with media with our Rashtriya Adhyaksh @AmitShah ji & ShivSena leader Uddhav ji Thackery. https://t.co/BzpNEsJuXz
— ŕ¤ŕ¤ľŕ¤śŕ¤Şŕ¤ľ महाराष्ट्र (@BJP4Maharashtra) February 18, 2019
Both parties have agreed to go 50-50 on seats for the assembly elections in Maharashtra, due later this year.
For the Lok Sabha polls, out of 48 seats, the BJP will contest on 25 seats while Sena in 23.
After Uttar Pradesh with 80 seats, Maharashtra sends most number of lawmakers to the parliament after Uttar Pradesh,
In 2014 General Elections BJP had contested 26 and the Sena had fought in 22.
The two parties have been allies for nearly three decades but the relationship soured over seat-sharing for the previous Maharashtra election in 2014, after which the two fought separately.