Trends indicate setback for BJP, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra

October 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance is likely to win the assembly elections in Maharashtra where polling was held Tuesday, according to IBN-Lokmat Times projections. According to these projections, the ruling Congress-NCP alliance will win 135 to 145 seats in the 288-member assembly with the Congress garnering 75-85 seats and the NCP 55-65 seats.

October 11th, 2009 PUNE - Unidentified gunmen attempted to assassinate Shiv Sena candidate Ajay Bhosle on Sunday morning. The attack took place in Pune's Vadgaon locality near the Koregaon Park.

October 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It will be a hung verdict in Maharashtra but the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance will end with most seats while the Congress will sweep Haryana in coming assembly elections, an opinion poll Thursday said. According to the survey by Star News channel, the Congress-NCP combine ruling Maharashtra will win up to 140 of the 288 assembly seats.

October 4th, 2009 MUMBAI - Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday said that his party would benefit from the political squabble between Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirmana Sena (MNS) in Maharashtra. Highlighting the recent verbal duels between Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS supremo Raj Thackeray, Rane said that the dispute between the two brothers had weakened the prospects of both the parties in the upcoming state polls.

September 19th, 2009 MUMBAI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena on Saturday expressed confidence about emerging victorious in the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. "It is 45 years since Shiv Sena came into being.

September 19th, 2009 MUMBAI - The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance's seat sharing formula for the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections has been announced at a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday. The Shiv Sena will contest 169 of the 288 Assembly seats, while the BJP will contest from the other 119.

September 7th, 2009 MUMBAI - The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has suffered a jolt with its vice president and general secretary -- the husband-wife duo of Sanjan and Sanjay Ghadi -- quitting to join the Shiv Sena. The couple, who joined the Shiv Sena Sunday, refer to it as a "homecoming".

September 1st, 2009 MUMBAI - The Shiv Sena Tuesday said the factionalism in the Bharatiya Janata Party, its alliance partner, would not effect the performance of the coalition in the Maharashtra assembly elections. "The factionalism in the BJP would have no impact on our prospects in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told IANS.

August 31st, 2009 MUMBAI - The rumblings at the top level of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) notwithstanding, the state unit of the party has quietly worked out an understanding to fight the ensuing Maharashtra assembly elections in alliance with the Shiv Sena. "Our talks are almost over and we should make the official announcement in a day or so, largely on the existing 171:117 formula for the 288 assembly seats," an officer-bearer of the party told IANS here.

August 31st, 2009 MUMBAI - Though the party's top leadership is struggling to set the house in order, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra unit has finalised the seat sharing agreement with the Shiv Sena on Monday for the upcoming assembly polls in the state. According to BJP sources the talks with Shiv Sena are almost over and an official announcement would be made in a day or two.

May 23rd, 2009 MUMBAI - The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has said that MNS did not steal anybody's votes. He said while addressing his party workers here on Friday in the wake of the comments by Shiv Sena's Executive President Uddhav Thackeray that due to presence of MNS, the votes were split in the recent elections to Lok Sabha.

May 16th, 2009 MUMBAI - The Shiv Sena on Saturday blamed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for dividing Marathi votes on regional lines. "The MNS tried to divide people on regional lines.

March 27th, 2009 PANAJI - Ouster of offshore casinos from Goa is on top of the poll agenda of the Goa Shiv Sena, which will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in the coastal state. Speaking to IANS from Mumbai, president of the Goa unit of the Shiv Sena Upendra Gaonkar said that his candidature for the North Goa seat and party vice-president Namdev Naik for the South Goa was formally endorsed by the party's executive president Uddhav Thackeray Friday evening.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Ironing out their differences, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena Tuesday announced they would begin joint campaigning in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha polls March 20. BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde said that party chief Rajnath Singh and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackrey would start canvassing together.

March 14th, 2009 MUMBAI - Setting speculation at rest, the Shiv Sena said Friday that its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would continue following an agreement on seat sharing in Maharashtra for the upcoming general elections. 'While the Sena will contest 22 Lok Sabha seats, BJP will contest the remaining 26 in the state,' Shiv Sena's spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut told journalists.