Shiv Sena Likely To Contest 30-40 Seats In The Upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections, Says Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut on Monday (5 October) said that the party may contest on as many as 30-40 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, reports Times of India.

Raut said that a final decision on the number of seats on which the party would contest the elections would be taken in a day or two.

"Our people in Bihar want us to fight 50 seats. We are saying we should contest 30-40 seats," Raut was quoted as saying.

When asked if the party would field a candidate against former Bihar director general of police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey who had recently joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), he said, "Keep watching" and added, "I will go to Bihar. I will reply to this query when I reach Bihar."

The development comes, as Shiv Sena had taken a strong opposition to Pandey's criticism of Mumbai Police's investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and his push for a CBI investigation into the case when he was serving as the Bihar's DGP.

Bihar is set to undergo polls in three phases, on 28 October, 3 November and 7 November, following which the counting of votes will take place on 10 November.