Maharashtra: BJP, Shiv Sena forge alliance to fight elections together
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena on Monday announced that they have sealed an alliance to contest the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Maharashtra Assembly polls together. The announcement was made by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at a press conference. BJP National President Amit Shah and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray were also present at the press conference. Here's more.
BJP President Amit Shah: I am confident that in Lok Sabha elections, BJP and Shiv Sena will together win 45 out of total 48 seats in Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/CmjpstjCcg
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2019
"The Shiv Sena will fight on 23 seats and the BJP will contest on 25 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," said CM Fadnavis, underlining that both the parties share the "same ideology". He said the decision on the alliance was taken "in the interest of the nation", predicting the BJP will be voted to power at the Center in the LS polls.
The alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena was reportedly finalized after Amit Shah met Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence in Mumbai. "I am confident that in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and the Shiv Sena will together win 45 out of total 48 seats in Maharashtra," said Amit Shah at the press conference.
Uddhav Thackeray also talked about the differences between Sena and BJP over the last five years. He said, "People are seeing the Shiv Sena and the BJP for past 30 years. For 25 years, we stood united, and for (the last) 5 years, there was confusion." "But like CM (Fadnavis) said, I still provided guidance to the government from time to time," he added.
On the Maharashtra Assembly polls to be held in four months, Thackeray said the seats and the responsibilities have been divided equally between BJP and Shiv Sena. "For Maharashtra Assembly elections, we will hold discussions with our other allies. Leaving the numbers of seats taken by our allies, the BJP and the Shiv Sena will fight on equal number of seats," said CM Fadnavis.
Following the announcement of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Our association with the @ShivSena goes beyond politics. We are bound by a desire to see a strong and developed India." "The decision to contest together strengthens the NDA significantly. I am sure our alliance is going to be Maharashtra's first and only choice!" he wrote on the microblogging website.
Our association with the @ShivSena goes beyond politics. We are bound by a desire to see a strong and developed India.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 18, 2019
The decision to contest together strengthens the NDA significantly. I am sure our alliance is going to be Maharashtra’s first and only choice!
