Sena's Khotkar says Jalna LS fight plan against Danve still on

Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra minister Arjun Khotkar Sunday said he had not dropped the idea of fighting Lok Sabha polls against BJP state unit chief and sitting MP Raosaheb Danve from Jalna.

He added that a decision on his contesting Lok Sabha polls from here would be taken by his party chief Uddhav Thackeray "within two days".

The BJP-Sena had inked an agreement on February 18 to fight Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls jointly.

As per the alliance agreement, the BJP will contest 25 seats and Shiv Sena 23 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The two parties will contest an equal number of seats, after allotting allies their due share of segments, in polls for the 288-member state Assembly.

Sharing a stage with Danve for the ground-breaking ceremony of a bridge here Sunday, Khotkar spoke about his desire for a direct fight with Danve while addressing the gathering.

Danve, however, stuck to the schedule of the function, spoke about development works initiated in the district, and avoided any talk about a possible poll battle with Khotkar.

Danve, a four-time BJP MP from Jalna since 1999, and Khotkar, Maharashtra minister of state for Textile, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, have often sparred over Jalna politics.

Earlier, in a bid to bring about a truce and convince the Sena leader to drop his plan to fight Lok Sabha polls from Jalna, Maharashtra Cooperation Minister Subhash Deshmukh had met Khotkar at the latter's residence in Jalna along with Danve on March 4.

Speaking to reporters after the March 4 meeting, Deshmukh had said, "Both the leaders have agreed to bury their differences. Both will not only work for their respective political parties, but now they will work together for the alliance. Khotkar will adhere to the Yuti dharma.