After sealing their seat-sharing pact, the Shiv Sena and BJP seem to have hit a wall of opposition within their own ranks. From BJP MP Pratap Patil Chikhalikar, former MLA Dr Vinay Natu, Kagal royal Samarjit Ghatge, and Shiv Sena leaders and cadre in Pune and Nashik, the saffron alliance is facing massive dissent over the distribution of constituencies. In 2014, all four principal parties, namely the BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP, contested the elections separately. This led to the BJP and to a smaller extent, the Sena, wresting seats that were traditionally held by the other party. The entry of leaders from the Congress and NCP to these parties has also changed the power equations in some constituencies where these defectors have been given or denied party tickets. "History repeats itself," said former legislator Vinay Natu, pointing to the obvious deja vu. In 2009, Natu, then an incumbent BJP MLA from Guhagar, rebelled after his constituency was handed over to the then leader of opposition and Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam, leading to a triangular contest between Kadam, Natu, and the NCP's Bhaskar Jadhav. A decade later, Natu is again ranged against Jadhav, a former Shiv Sainik, who has buried the hatchet with party president Uddhav Thackeray to return to his political alma mater. In 2014, Natu had again lost to Jadhav. Natu, who with his father late Dr Shridhar 'Tatyasaheb' Natu, has represented Guhagar in Ratnagiri in the assembly between 1972 and 2009 barring an exception in 1980, when Natu Sr lost by a slender margin to Ramchandra Bendal of the Congress, said his cadre was urging him to contest as an independent candidate. In Kolhapur's Kagal, royal family scion and MHADA Pune board chief Samarjit Ghatge is an angry man. Samarjit, son of former legislator and co-operative doyen Vikramsinh Ghatge, said during his state-wide tour that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised him a nomination as a BJP candidate from the constituency located on the border with Karnataka. However, the Shiv Sena has retained the constituency and nominated former MLA Sanjaybaba Ghatge, who will take on the NCP's incumbent MLA Hasan Mushrif. "This is shocking," said Samarjit, adding "I have worked in the constituency for four years."Samarjit served an ultimatum to the BJP and Sena, stating that if the seat was not handed over to the BJP, a rebellion is on the cards. "Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj was given the title of Rajarshi by the people. Similarly, let the people decide their leader," said Samarjit. Shahu Maharaj, who was the first to launch caste-based reservations in India (1897) in his state, hailed from the Ghatge family and was adopted by the royal family of Kolhapur. In Nanded, local BJP MP Pratap Patil Chikhalikar, who emerged as a giant killer by defeating former chief minister Ashok Chavan, is upset that his assembly constituency of Loha is with the Shiv Sena, which has nominated Mukteshwar Dhondge. Chikhalikar was eager to field his son Pravin. In 2014, Chikhalikar, who has been in and out of parties like the Congress and NCP, successfully contested as a Sena candidate from Loha. Soon, he switched loyalties to the BJP and was later elected as an MP. Though Chikhalikar could not be reached for a comment, an aide said they were insisting that the Loha seat be set aside for the BJP. His daughter Pranita Deore Chikhalikar is said to be eager for a contest from Nanded South, another Shiv Sena seat. Similarly, Shiv Sena cadre and functionaries in Pune, Nashik, and Nagpur, are upset at no assembly seat in the three cities being given to them. In Wardha, the Shiv Sena's former MLA Ashok Shinde is likely to rebel against the BJP's Sameer Kunavar from Hinganghat. In 2014, Kunavar had defeated Shinde.

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