MUMBAI: Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat on Saturday said the BJP and Shiv Sena could contest the 2029 Maharashtra Assembly elections independently, responding to claims in Saamana that the BJP is preparing to go solo.
Saamana, the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena (UBT), claimed that the BJP may part ways with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and contest the elections on its own, while also targeting Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
Reacting to the report, Shirsat said it is natural for parties to prepare independently. “We cannot stop any party from preparing for the election and strengthening its network. It is the right of every political party to make itself strong at the grassroots level and prepare for the elections. No one can stop us from preparing for the elections,” he said.
He added that alliances are not permanent. “And, nothing is surprising and shocking if it happens. It is completely dependent on seat sharing and accommodations."
Saamana also alleged that the BJP may try to weaken allies by poaching MLAs and expanding its base ahead of the polls.
Shirsat said in politics, changes are constant and both parties may take decisions based on electoral strategy.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena had contested separately after a seat-sharing dispute. The BJP won 119 seats in the 288-member House and later formed the government with outside support from the NCP, after which Shiv Sena joined the government.
