BJP national president Amit Shah on Thursday dismissed reports suggesting a deal on seat-sharing between his party and close ally Shiv Sena for the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra.
“Talks with Shiv Sena over seat-sharing are still on, no agreement has been reached on the issue as yet,” Shah said.
Shah also exuded confidence that his party will head the next government in Maharashtra while making an appeal to the Shiv Sena to resolve the seat-sharing tussle at the earliest.
“We have moved two steps, now it is your turn. The BJP wants the matter to be solved keeping our self respect intact. Let’s solve the matter soon. I can assure you that this time it will be a BJP government in Maharashtra,” Shah said.
Shah’s statement came even as reports quoting state BJP leaders said that they have reduced their share of seats to 119 for the forthcoming Assembly polls, the number of seats they had contested last time.
BJP president, however, said told the alliance partner that there will be no compromise at the cost of self respect.
Shah said the ‘Mahayuti’ (grand alliance) needs to stand strong and united to overthrow the 15-year-old Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra, in the upcoming Assembly Elections.
“Friends, BJP government is going to be formed this time in Maharashtra,” Shah said, addressing a meeting of party workers at the airport here, after flying in from Mumbai.
“In the flight today, I was telling the state BJP leaders Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde to resolve the alliance issue quickly. They said they were trying their best but were not getting response (from Sena),” he said.
“But the BJP worker wants resolution (to the alliance seat sharing tangle) with self respect. There cannot be resolution at the cost of self respect,” he said.
“If the alliance is to be formed, I want to tell both the sides – my party leaders are sitting here and also to Shiv Sena friends — to find a resolution quickly, ensuring that self-respect of both (sides) is protected. This is very essential for transformation (of Maharashtra),” the BJP leader said.
