Explained: Sena and BJP, frenemies in Maharashtra’s Assembly election battle

While a similar tug-of-war in the saffron alliance had been seen before the 2014 elections too, the Sena is more aggressive this year. The reason: The Shiv Sena would like to have as Chief Minister Aaditya Thackeray, the son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The Sena has rejected the BJP’s initial offer of 110 seats, and has been pushing for at least 144, or half the total 288 seats in the Assembly.

As the countdown to the Maharashtra Assembly elections begins, the familiar jousting for seats among the BJP and Shiv Sena is back. While a similar tug-of-war in the saffron alliance had been seen before the 2014 elections too, the Sena is more aggressive this year. The reason: The Shiv Sena would like to have as Chief Minister Aaditya Thackeray, the son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP, on the other hand, doesn’t want to play second fiddle to the Sena. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had told The Indian Express in an interview last month that “there should be no doubt” that he is “coming back as Chief Minister”, and BJP president and Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that Fadnavis “deserves another term to take development work ahead”.

The question of seats

The parties are apparently in the final stage of seat-sharing talks. The Sena has rejected the BJP’s initial offer of 110 seats, and has been pushing for at least 144, or half the total 288 seats in the Assembly. It wants the BJP to accommodate friendly parties in its share of seats. In the 2014 Assembly elections, which the parties fought separately, the BJP had won 122 seats, and the Sena 63. This time, the BJP is looking to contest more than 150 seats.

Earlier understanding

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, with the prospects of an alliance looking bleak, Amit Shah had met Uddhav at Matoshree, the Thackeray family home in Kalanagar, Mumbai. Details of the deal were not made public, but it is understood that the two leaders agreed to share seats equally in the Assembly elections.

However, with a massive Lok Sabha mandate behind it, the BJP now appears to be singing a different tune. The party is believed to have cited the changed scenario, and argued that it is the more popular party in both the Centre and the state. The BJP-Sena swept 41 of the 48 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, with the BJP winning 23 and the Sena 18.

Fishing for Cong-NCP

Each party in the saffron camp would like to win more seats than the other to be able to stake claim to CMship; both are, therefore, working to win over MLAs and popular leaders from the Congress and NCP to their ranks.

More than 10 sitting MLAs, former MLAs, and leaders from the Congress and NCP have already switched to one or the other of the parties. There is greater stress on “importing” leaders for seats at which the saffron aspirants are weak, or which are currently held by the Congress or NCP. Families of long-time Congress loyalist too, are targets for poaching.

Prominent among those who have crossed over are Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil, Abdul Sattar, Harshavardhan Patil, Ganesh Naik, Ranajagjit Singh, Dhananjay Mahadik, Dilip Mane, and Dilip Sopal. The BJP claims more are on the way, and that the party is “in touch” with at least 70 Congress and NCP leaders.

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Signals and pressure

On Monday, the Shiv Sena started to interview aspirants for all 288 seats, signalling that it would be ready to go it alone in case the deal with the BJP does not work out. In July, Aaditya had gone on a 4,000-km Jan Ashirwad Yatra to thank people who had voted for the Sena in the Lok Sabha elections, and to establish direct communication with the electorate.

Aaditya is likely to contest the Worli seat in Mumbai. If he does, he will be the first Thackeray to contest a direct election. Soon after Aaditya’s rally was announced, BJP said Fadnavis would hold a Maha Janadesh Yatra to highlight the achievements of his government and to seek a renewed mandate.

Manoj Dattatrye More

Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More