BJP-Shiv Sena alliance yet to formalise in Maharashtra

With barely three days to go for nominations to open for Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena are yet to come out with a seat-sharing formula.

To compound the situation, both prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah have virtually snubbed Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

Modi had snubbed Thackeray for raising the Ram mandir issue when the Supreme Court is in final stages of hearing of the title suit and indirectly refering him as "kuch bayan bahadur aur badbole log".

On the other hand, Shah had described Devendra Fadnavis as the "current and future" Maharashtra chief minister, at a time when Sena is projecting Uddhav's son Aditya for the top job.

The notification for elections to 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly opens on Friday.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Fadnavis said that the alliance and the seat-sharing formula would be announced at an "appropriate time". In an editorial in Saamna, the Sena had taken a swipe on BJP saying that since the BJP has already decided everything, only the formality of pressing the EVMs button was left in the name of elections.

On the other hand, Congress and NCP has agreed on a formula to contest 125 seats each and leave the leave the rest 38 for smaller allies.

The 125-125 formula was announced by NCP president Sharad Pawar last week. "We have agreed on a 125-125 formula. There would be some exchange of seats here and there," MPCC general secretary and spokesman Sachin Sawant said.

However, much to the chagrin of the Congress, senior NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar allotted specific seats to the Congress in Pune district. Pawar has also said that he favours a tie-up with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, but the latter has announced the decision to contest all seats after its alliance with AIMIM broke-off.

Meanwhile, the Raj Thackeray-led MNS is expected to announce its strategy for the polls in two days.