| After Assembly poll loss, BJP chief Amit Shah pursues ally Shiv Sena | | |
Agencies
Mumbai: Following Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) loss in recent Assembly elections, party chief Amit Shah is trying to pursue ally Shiv Sena to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls together.
According to sources, the Shah will meet Sena leaders on Wednesday and try to pacify them.
"I am sure the Shiv Sena will be with us in 2019 Lok Sabha elections; talks are on," said Shah while addressing media in Mumbai.
Shah arrived in Mumbai late Tuesday evening and held closed-door meetings with select leaders from Maharashtra.
Speaking on recent Assembly poll results, he said, "The results in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh definitely not favourable for BJP, but it is not right to link them with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. State polls can't be linked to Lok Sabha poll results; Both elections fought on separate issues."
"It is imperative not only for the BJP but also for the country that the BJP wins the next elections in the Hindi heartland and other areas," he said while announcing that the party is introspecting the poll results.
Speaking on the grand alliance talks, Shah added, "The reality of opposition 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) is different. It doesn't exist and is a 'bhranti' (illusion)."
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 23 seats, while the Shiv Sena had bagged 18 constituencies.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has already announced that his party would contest the elections solo, which has left the BJP all the more anxious as it does not want division of votes.
"It is not the Shiv Sena alone that has indicated to stay away from the BJP, but other alliance partners such as Raju Shetti, an influential farmer leader from Maharashtra, has already snapped the ties," a BJP leader told PTI.
Last week, BJP was removed from power in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Congress winning all the three states. |
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