The two parties also have other sticking points, like the chief minister's post.
The alliance between the Shiv Sena and BJP may has hit another air pocket as they stake claims over assembly seats that were lost to each other in the last state polls.
"In seats the Shiv Sena has historically contested from, our workers feel the 2014 defeat to the BJP was an anomaly. Hence, a Sena nominee must contest. However, the final decision on swapping seats will be taken by leaderships of both parties," said a senior Shiv Sena leader.
He added that much depended on the formula decided by the leaders of the two parties. "If it is decided to share only those constituencies beyond the 122 won by the BJP and 63 by the Shiv Sena, then we will have to fall in line. Else, some of these seats can be exchanged," the leader said.
The two parties also have other sticking points, like the chief minister's post.
After Sena and BJP overcame their estrangement to announce an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, Sena leaders claimed they would be the senior ally and would nominate the chief minister after the polls. But this was contested by BJP leaders. Adding fuel to the fire, Yuva Sena leader Varun Sardesai, a cousin of Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, claimed the two parties would share the chief minister's post for two-and-a-half years.
Sena also wants an equal split of the 288 assembly seats between the two parties. But revenue minister Chandrakantdada Patil, the number two in Fadnavis cabinet, had stressed that while Sena and BJP would contest 135 seats each of the 288 seats, their allies would get the other 18.
Sena took umbrage to this and pointed out that the BJP expected the smaller allies, like the RPI faction led by Ramdas Athavale, to contest on its Lotus symbol. So that if elected, these legislators will belong to the BJP.
In 2014, BJP had snapped its alliance with Sena for state polls after a tug-of-war over seat-sharing terms.
Undercutting The Ally
- In 2014, the two parties had fought independently and won assembly segments that were traditionally contested or held by the other political formation
- For instance, in 2014, BJP won seats like Goregaon, Vile Parle, Dahisar, Versova and Andheri in Mumbai, where Sena has either had an MLA or has fought from. It also swept all eight assembly segments in Pune, defeating two incumbent Sena legislators, and won all three seats in Nashik, where the Sena has a base. Sena MLAs defeated by BJP include industries minister Subhash Desai (Goregaon) and Vinod Ghosalkar (Dahisar).
- Shiv Sena also faced reverses in Marathwada and Vidarbha. It won just four of 64 seats. In Mumbai, Sena also wrested the Kalina and Chembur assembly constituencies, which had been traditionally fought by the BJP
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