Maharashtra Assembly polls 2019: BJP and allies to contest 162 seats, Shiv Sena 126 in seat-sharing formula

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Friday that the BJP would be contesting 148 seats in the 288-member Assembly, the Shiv Sena would be contesting from 126 seats and the other allies would be contesting from 14 seats. [caption id=“attachment_4912571” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Devendra Fadnavis. PTI[/caption] Fadnavis, addressing a joint press conference with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, said that despite their differences, the BJP and Shiv Sena share the “common thread” of Hindutva and will retain power in Maharashtra after the October 21 Assembly polls. Fadnavis said the ‘Mahayuti’ alliance comprising BJP, Sena and other parties will get an unprecedented victory in the elections. Fadnavis added that Aaditya Thackeray, son of Uddhav Thackeray, will win the Worli seat Assembly poll by polling the highest number of votes. He said he will ask all rebel BJP candidates to withdraw from the poll arena in the next two days. To a query on why some senior leaders, including cabinet ministers were not fielded by the BJP, Fadnavis said, “nobody has been dropped, they have only been reassigned responsibilities.