Alliance with Sena couldn't be salvaged due to seat sharing differences: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said that differences over seat sharing had led them to part ways with the Shiv Sena ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

"Shiv Sena had difficulties in going down from the 151 seats ratio, and even we could not budge from the 131 seat ratio. It would have been impossible for the BJP to not give our smaller yet effective allies their rights," BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters at a press conference here.

"If there was not such a close deadline to file nomination papers, our alliance could have been saved. But after the previous Lok Sabha elections, the situation changed a little and four new smaller yet strong parties joined us, The Republican Party of India, Shiv Sangram, Swabhimani Paksh and Shetkari Sangathana," he added.

Rudy also said that the BJP national leadership was in favour of the alliance, but gave the authority of taking the decision to the state unit keeping in view the time constraints.

Rudy also said, "Even if the NCP and Congress have separated, it will not rid them of their corruption charges.BJP will work against that corruption and misdeeds and make a government on our own strength."

The political alliance between the BJP-Shiv Sena and the Congress-NCP ended on Thursday ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled to be held on October 15. The counting of votes will take place on October 18.