Maharashtra political alliances continue to hang by a thread

With 48 hours left for filing nominations, all major paries are yet to reach an agreement on seat-sharing

BJP and Shiv Sena are engaged in verbal duel as both the parties are unable to end the dead lock over seat sharing for the election to the 288 member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. This, despite Shiv Sena speaking to BJP president Amit Shah so that talks progress. Shah cancelled his Mumbai visit due to lack of consensus.

State BJP president Devendra Fadnavis said: "The Sena still hasn't accommodated the alliance partners and us the way they should have. There is nothing new in the different proposals they are coming up with."

On the other hand, Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Raote claimed that BJP was in a haste to break the 25-year-old alliance with his party. ''We had come with the seat sharing proposal but we were made to sit for over two and half hours as there has not been any response from the BJP,'' he said adding that Shiv Sena is ready to go solo if BJP ultimately takes a decision to break the alliance.

Raote said the BJP general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Rajiv Pratap Rudy left for New Delhi without holding talks with Shiv Sena. He informed that Rudy had said that in the new seat sharing formula Shiv Sena will contest 151 seats and BJP in 130.

While BJP core committee meeting is currently underway, the Shiv Sena leaders have gathered at Matoshree, the residence of party president Uddhav Thackeray, to discuss prsent political scenario.

Meanwhile, all is not well in the Congress and NCP camp too. State Congress president Manikrao Thakre announced that the time has run out to form an alliance with NCP. ''There was no response from NCP and therefore Congress declared its first list of 114 seats late Wednesday night,'' he said.

NCP top leaders including party chief Sharad Pawar, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare, public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal are closeted to decide future course of action. NCP is expected to soon announce its first list. With 48 hours left for filing nominations, it remains to be seen who blinks first.