2019 Lok Sabha polls: BJP to contest on 25 seats, Shiv Sena 23 in Maharashtra

New Delhi, Feb 18:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced that the party has forged an alliance with the Shiv Sena for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the Maharashtra assembly polls.

Addressing the presser, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Shiv Sena will fight on 23 seats and BJP will fight on 25 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Fadnavis, said that both (BJP, Shiv Sena) are ideologically similar. Some differences will not stop us from coming together, emphasised Fadnavis. Both Shiv Sena & BJP agree that Ram Mandir should be built, reiterated Fadnavis.

The Shiv Sena is one of the oldest allies of the BJP, but off-late the Uddhav Thackeray led party has been extremely critical of the PM Modi-led government at the Centre. The criticism and bickering between the two had, at one point, reached such levels that speculations began making the rounds that Sena may severe ties with the BJP.

Shiv Sena and BJP are allies both in Centre and in Maharashtra, but in early 2018, the Sena had announced that it would contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the Maharashtra Assembly elections separately over disagreements with the BJP.

In 2014, the two parties, along with their allies, had won 42 out of 48 seats. While the BJP had bagged 23 seats, the Shiv Sena had emerged winners in 18 constituencies.