The first round meeting between the BJP and Shiv Sena on Wednesday night on the seat-sharing before the Maharashtra assembly elections was inconclusive. The Shiv Sena wants the state to have an equal distribution of 288 assembly seats and the BJP gives seats to smaller allies. In fact, both parties could not agree on the issue of allotment of seats to the smaller allies of the alliance. The Shiv Sena wants an equal distribution of 288 assembly seats in the state and the BJP gives seats to smaller allies.

BJP president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray have expressed their desire for a pre-poll alliance. However, the future of the alliance will depend on the formula to be decided before the election. The election in the state can be announced after Ganeshotsav. BJP state president Chandrakant Patil and senior Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai are leading the negotiations on seat sharing. Senior Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar may also attend the next meeting.

Sources reveal that BJP wants to start talks with 171 seats, while Shiv Sena wants half of the total seats. For this, she cites the conversation between Shah, Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis before the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP does not stamp the formula for half the seats, but it says that the seat-sharing equation has been decided. Given the popularity of the party, even BJP ticketers do not want an alliance. They believe that in the event of a coalition, very few people will get the chance to contest elections. However, he is certainly hopeful about the preparations being made by the party for all seats.