Uddhav Thackeray wants BJP-Shiv Sena alliance to remain intact

Amid the ongoing war of words over seat sharing in election-bound Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that he wants the alliance between his party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to remain intact.

"The discussions are on. Whenever any decision is taken, it will be known to the media. But I won't say anything negative till a decision is taken because I don't want to spoil the environment. I want the alliance to remain intact," said Thackeray.

Thackeray has, however, refused to give 135 seats to the BJP.

After concluding seat-sharing talks with four smaller parties, the BJP had earlier on Sunday offered equal number of seats to the Shiv Sena.

"After allocating seats to them, we have proposed to share equal numbers of seats. Our state leadership has put forth the proposal and we are waiting for their (Shiv Sena) response on the issue," BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told the media in Pune yesterday.

The BJP also deferred Shiv Sena's demand for the Chief Minister's post.

"We believe that this issue should be decided after the elections. The issue of Chief Minister has not cropped up during the discussion so far," Rudy said.

The friction between the two political parties intensified after Uddhav Thackeray delivered a sharp warning to the BJP about 'lust for power' in the party mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

The Maharashtra assembly poll is scheduled to be held on October 15.

According to certain media reports, the BJP wants to have a greater share of Maharashtra's 288 assembly seats, crediting the verdict of the Lok Sabha polls to be a wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP won 23 of Maharashtra's 48 seats while the Shiv Sena won 18 in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress-NCP alliance, which has governed Maharashtra since 1999, emerged victorious in only six seats.