MUMBAI: The seat has been finalized after a long row over seat-sharing between BJP and Shiv Sena ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. According to sources, in a marathon meeting late on Thursday night between CM Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena leader and Industries Minister Subhash Desai, it was decided that BJP will contest 162 seats and Shiv Sena will contest the remaining 126 seats.

The 25-year-old alliance between the two parties was broken due to the lack of consensus on seat division in the 2014 assembly elections and the two contested separately. In Maharashtra, the BJP will give seats to other allies and smaller parties from its quota of 162 seats. There is also a discussion that the BJP will try to get younger allies to contest elections on the lotus symbol. A senior cabinet minister, on the condition of anonymity, said that the official announcement regarding the seat-sharing will be done in a day or two.

Earlier, Shiv Sena was adamant on the formula of 50-50. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut had said on Thursday that the BJP should honor the 50-50 formula. Advising the BJP, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said, 'The 50-50 formula was decided by the BJP in the presence of BJP President Amit Shah and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.

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