BJP to contest on 164 seats along with smaller allies, Shiv Sena gets 124 seats for Maharashtra assembly election: Sources

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena on Tuesday finalised a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly election, according to sources. A day after formally announcing an alliance, both the BJP and Shiv Sena released a list of 125 candidates and 71 candidates respectively on Tuesday on who will be contesting the poll for the 288-member Assembly.

As per the seat-sharing agreement, BJP will retain the major share of 164 seats and the remaining 124 seats will be contested on by the Shiv Sena. However, as per sources, the BJP will share its seats will smaller allies. The ruling combine comprises the BJP, the Shiv Sena, the Republican Party of India-A, the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, the Shiv Sangram Party and the Rayat Kranti Sanghatana.

READ | Check out Shiv Sena's first list of candidates for Maharashtra assembly election | Check out BJP's first list of candidates for Maharashtra assembly election

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has found a place in the first list for Maharashtra assembly polls, will contest from Nagpur South West. It is to be noted that Fadnavis had contested from this seat in 2014 too.

BJP Maharashtra Chief Chandrakant Patil has been fielded from Kothrud while Pankaja Munde will contest from Parli. Shivendra Singh, who is a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivji Maharaj, will contest from Satara assembly. Mukta Tilak, the daughter-in-law of Lokmanya Tilak, has been given the ticket from Kasba Pet. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who quit Congress and joined BJP recently, will contest from Shirdi. State Minister Girish Mahajan will contest from Jamner. 

Udyan Raj Bhonsle has been elected to contest from Satara for Lok Sabha by-poll. Notably, BJP has given both assembly sets of Navi Mumbai, seats which Shiv Sena had been eyeing for its contestants. 

According to the first list of Shiv Sena, Aditya Thackeray has been fielded from Worli assembly constituency, a party stronghold in south-central Mumbai. The 29-year old grandson of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, Aditya will be the first member from the Thackeray family to enter the electoral fray after Shalini Thackeray, the wife of Jeetendra Thackeray, a cousin of MNS founder Raj Thackeray, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Shiv Sena is expected to declare the remaining 53 candidates' names shortly. It is to be noted that the last day to file nomination for the election is October 4. 

Maharashtra will go to polls on October 21 and counting of votes takes place on October 24.