BJP seeks 114 seats to contest Mumbai civic polls, says Shiv Sena

Mumbai: As the deadlock over the pre-poll ties continues, the BJP has sought 114 seats to contest for the Mumbai civic body polls in alliance with the Shiv Sena, party MP Anil Desai said, after the second round of talks between the two parties held on Wednesday. 

"The BJP has put forward a demand of 114 seats for the BMC polls. We then asked them to give us the exact details of seats that they want to contest. It was then decided between both parties that the BJP will share the list by tonight," Desai told reporters.

"Once we receive the list, we will hold internal talks which might take a day. Once that is done, we will once again sit with the BJP," he said.

The Sena's softened stand on the BJP comes a day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to the party chief Uddhav Thackeray and sought continuation of negotiations on alliance.

Sena sources, citing internal polls, had earlier said that it was in the best interest of both parties to contest the BMC elections separately and, both being natural allies, there was likelihood of a post-poll alliance.

Despite keeping the dialogue with the BJP on for the civic poll tie-up , the Sena has been unrelenting in its attack against the Centre's monetisation move through party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.