Political Differences Aside, BJP-Shiv Sena Both Want Alliance To Be Formulated Soon 

Leaders from both Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) want the alliance to be formulated soon to keep Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress union away from emerging victors.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his rally on 9 January didn’t utter a word about Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, the latter lashed out at the PM and said that the alliance could go to hell as farmers’ well-being was a priority for Shiv Sena.

Despite the political jibes and differences, both parties acknowledge the fact that they need to fight the battle together to emerge victorious in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.

“This bluster and bravado in public about going alone must end now. We are already into mid-January and elections are barely four-five months away. Both parties need to start building an atmosphere of some cordiality so that alliance talks can begin,” quoted a senior BJP leader from Maharastra as reported by Livemint. On the same page, a Shiv Sena leader also thinks that the alliance is necessary for him to get re-elected in 2019.

A set of problems which bother both the parties have been identified by senior leaders.

A BJP MP requesting anonymity is keen for a Shiv Sena-BJP alliance and says with a robust Congress-NCP alliance, the BJP cannot afford the Shiv Sena fighting against them.