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MUMBAI, Mar 21: In an indication of its vexa- tion with ally BJP, the Shiv Sena today said it will contest 20 seats in electorally vital Uttar Pradesh, but the BJP down- played it saying they share “strong and old” ties and are “inseparable”. Sena, an NDA ally led by Uddhav Thackeray, however, maintained it will not field nom- inees against BJP’s Prime Ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi and party president Rajnath Singh, contesting from Varanasi and Lucknow respec- tively. Sena’s decision to contest in the most populous state, which sends 80 MPs to Lok Sabha, comes in the backdrop of a sec- tion of Maharashtra BJP making overtures to MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Uddhav’s estranged cousin and rival, for some sort of poll-related arrangement to avoid a split in saffron votes. “We have our alliance with BJP in Maharashtra, not in Uttar Pradesh. We will strive to expand our party in other parts of the country. Shiv Sena will field 20 candidates in Uttar Pradesh,” Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut told reporters. He did not name the seats from where Sena will contest. Meanwhile, the BJP said it has old ties with its trusted alliance partner and they would achieve success in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra by bagging the maximum seats. BJP chief Rajnath Singh asserted that if there are “any shortcomings in the alliance, we can resolve through talks”. “I can vouch with confi- dence that the relations of BJP with Shiv Sena cannot break at any cost. If there are any short- comings in the alliance, we can resolve through talks,” he said in Delhi.(PTI) SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014 (PAGE 16) DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU REQUIRED IT PROFESSIONAL FOR WEBSITE MANAGEMENT having Knowledge of php, Wordpress, Webdesign & HTML CONT: 9419101229, 9419147093 Email: [email protected] Miffed Sena to contest 20 seats in UP; ally BJP downplays rift
