Shiv Sena says no to equal seat division

MUMBAI: With the Shiv Sena unwilling to accept the BJP’s demand for an equal number of seats, the latter will now take a fresh review of its position in Maharashtra to take a final call on the issue.

Significantly, a meeting will be held in the presence of national president Amit Shah and union minister Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday evening in Mumbai. The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance is now facing a deadlock over differences on seat sharing and the post of CM in the event of a victory. Shiv Sena is not ready to give in to the demand of its ally for an equal number of seats while Sena president Uddhav Thackeray wanted take over as the CM. Heated exchanges between the parties’ leaders have deteriorated the situation. To discuss the current circumstances, senior leaders from Maharashtra, including Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde, on Tuesday met Nitin Gadkari at his New Delhi residence. “Now, we have asked for at least 129 seats, but they are again not comfortable with that too,” revealed a senior leader. 

This has compelled the BJP to review its strategy.