BJP gets 144; Sena 126 & Dy CM post

So, after much hemming and hawing, the BJP and the Shiv Sena have sewn up their alliance for the State Assembly election.

According to BJP sources in the national capital, the ruling party has got the lion’s share – 144 seats – while the Sena will have to remain content with 126. Eighteen seats will be earmarked for alliance partners. The Sena had been rooting for a 50:50 divide and a section of the party was in favour of ending the alliance.

The icing on the cake for the Sena is that it will also get the post of the Deputy Chief Minister. The Sena’s official reaction was awaited. According to sources, the Sena may also get more Cabinet berths – a sticking point which had caused considerable heartburn earlier.

Sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen that both parties should contest together and continue to share the political space. With less than a month to go for the polls, the ruling alliance came to an understanding after an internal meeting of the BJP, where party chief Amit Shah and Working President JP Nadda took a call on the issue.

BJP General Secretary and in-charge of Maharashtra Saroj Pande, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Water resource Minister Girish Mahajan and Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde were present during the meeting.

In 2014, both parties had contested alone. The Sena had contested on 282 seats and won 63, while the BJP had contested on 260 and grabbed 122. The polling is scheduled to take place on October 21 and the results will be declared on October 24. The main opposition will the Congress and the NCP combine.