Amit Shah meets Uddhav Thackeray; Sena-BJP may announce pact to continue

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Mumbai: BJP president Amit Shah Monday met Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray here amid indications that the two sparring allies are all set to retain the tie-up for the ensuing elections.

Soon after landing here from Jaipur, Shah met senior BJP leaders at a luxury hotel here and drove to Matoshree, the Sena chief's residence in suburban Bandra.

The two leaders are slated to address a joint press conference later Monday night where a formal announcement on continuation of the alliance is expected, a senior BJP leader said.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena, who have had a strained relationship for over four years despite being partners in the central and the state government, took the decision a year after the Thackeray-led party passed a resolution to go solo in the forthcoming elections.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the two parties along with their allies had won 42 out of the 48 seats. The BJP had bagged 23 seats, while the Shiv Sena had emerged victorious in 18 constituencies.

The two parties had contested the October 2014 Maharashtra Assembly election separately and came together to form government in a post-poll arrangement.