'BJP-Shiv Sena polls pact for Maha polls to be announced in 2 days'

Amid the looming uncertainty over Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra polls, Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said a seat-sharing agreement has been finalised and will be announced within two days.

"We have held systematic talks with BJP leaders. We have already decided the seat-sharing formula and will announce in two days," he told reporters here.

His statement comes a day after Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said his party will snap ties with BJP if it was not given 144 seats in the 288-members Assembly to contest in the upcoming elections.

"BJP will have to respect the fifty-fifty formulae that was decided in presence of Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. I am not talking of breaking alliance but what Diwakar Raote has said is not wrong," said Sanjay Raut.

His sentiments were earlier expressed by another party leader and state Minister, Diwakar Raote.

The BJP and Shiv Sena contested 2014 state assembly elections separately after they failed to arrive at a seat-sharing formula. However, they formed the government in the alliance after the elections as none of them was able to secure the majority on its own.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on September 16 said that talks are going on with Shiv Sena regarding seat-sharing and a decision will be taken soon.

Assembly elections to elect the 288 members of Legislative Assembly will be held later this year.