Ending weeks of uncertainty and consequent speculation in the media, the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena on Monday evening announced an alliance for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, scheduled for October 21.
However, the two parties said that the details about the seat-sharing arrangement would be announced soon.
In a joint statement issued late in the evening, the BJP and Shiv Sena announced that having ruled the State as an alliance for the past five years, the two parties would, in line with the democratic traditions, contest the State Assembly polls together.
The two saffron parties announced that they fight the polls in alliance with smaller parties like the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (Athawale), Rashtriya Samaj Paksha led by Mahadev Jankar, Vinayak Mete-led Shiv Sangram and Sadabhau Khot-led Rayat Kranti Sangathana.
Earlier, addressing a news conference, BJP’s State president Chandrakant Patil said that the two parties might announce the seat-sharing details later in the night. “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is away in his Assembly constituency in Nagpur for preparations to file his nominations. After he returns to Mumbai, he and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will address a joint news conference and give the details of the seat-sharing formula arrived at between the two parties," Patil said.
Replying to a question, Patil said that the seat-sharing pact had nearly been finalised between the BJP and Shiv Sena. “Only a formal announcement is awaited,” he said.
The seat-sharing between the two parties was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP working president JP Nadda.
Fadnavis, who had earlier held two to three rounds of talks with Uddhav, had flown to New Delhi had flown to New Delhi to obtain approval for the alliance between the two saffron parties.
According to sources in the two parties, the saffron alliance partners have reached an understanding that of the total 288 seats, the BJP will contest 144 seats, while the Sena will field candidates in 126 constituencies. The two parties will leave the remaining 18 seats to the smaller allies.
In the 2014 polls which the saffron alliance partners had contested on their respective strengths, the BJP had won an all-time high of 122 seats as against 260 out of the total 288 seats it had contested. The Shiv Sena had walked away with 63 seats out of 282 seats it had contested. On the other hand, the Congress bagged 42 seats out of 287 seats it had contested, while the NCP emerged fourth by winning 41 out of 278 it had contested.