Sena, BJP begin prep to go it alone

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have started promoting candidates on each other’s Lok Sabha (LS) seats in Maharashtra.

Although alliance talks are still underway between the two parties, no one wants to be unprepared on any of the 48 LS  seats in Maharashtra.

According to sources, the BJP candidates on the Sena seats have started reaching on ground while the Sena leadership has identified its candidates on BJP seats.

Recently, the Sena leadership asked its leader Shishir Shinde to start preparation for the northwest LS constituency, where BJP’s Kirit Somaiya is the sitting MP.

Mr Shinde was with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and joined the Shiv Sena this year.

Similarly, BJP has asked Seema Savale, a corporator from Pimpri-Chinchwad to start work in the Amravati LS constituency, where Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul is MP. These are not the only examples as there is a similar story for every LS constituency. This shows that both saffron parties have decided no to wait for the outcome of the alliance talks.

“You will have to be ready. The BJP leadership is trying to convince our leadership for an alliance. But, the decision on the issue is yet to be taken. Now, since only five months are left for the elections, it’s better to be prepared with candidates for all 48 seats,” said a senior Sena leader.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis made a statement recently where he cleared that the BJP was ready to contest on its own. “We want an alliance with the Shiv Sena. But if the Sena leadership sticks to its stand of going solo, we are ready for the elections and we will win,” he said in Pimpri a few weeks ago.