Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today downplayed the demand made during the BJP state executive meeting about going solo in the upcoming Assembly elections, saying that the saffron alliance put together by its top leaders was strong and intact.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a book release function, Uddhav said, “The Sena-BJP alliance was the legacy of late Bal Thackeray, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani. Hence, views of others don't matter.”
“Only if the state BJP chief Devendra Fadanvis speaks to me about it, I will consider it official,” he said. Uddhav was responding to queries about the demand at the state BJP meeting held yesterday that the BJP should call off the alliance and contest all seats separately.
Earlier, speaking at the book release function, Uddhav said, in a veiled reference to the demand at BJP meeting, that good days were here for the people after Narendra Modi won the Lok Sabha polls, but his tension had grown. The book was about tension-free life penned by Dr P B Ramani.
Buoyed by the party's spectacular showing in the Lok Sabha elections, several office-bearers of Maharashtra BJP said the party must not play second fiddle to alliance partner Shiv Sena in the Assembly elections which are due later this year. Shiv Sena (traditionally) contests 174 seats and BJP only 114 in the Assembly polls.
