PUNE: BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday said that had Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray been alive, the Sena-BJP alliance would have remained intact. Bawankule was in the city to inaugurate a party event where he interacted with the media. I have been working in the Shiv Sena-BJP alliancesince 1992 and have witnessed Balasahebs work closely.There was a thought behind his functioning. He never did anything against theSena ideology and if he was alive today, the alliance would have remained intact, the BJP state president said. The alliance ended after 25 years when Uddhav Thackeray broke away from the BJP and joined the Congress-NCP alliance to form Maha Vikas Aghadi. Uddhav has maintained that top BJP leaders lied and betrayed the Shiv Sena. He has said that the BJP had not honoured its promise that the two parties would work on a 50:50 formula with rotational chief ministers.Bawankule in October had said that political leaders who stabbed deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the back and conspired not to let him become the CM after 2019 are struggling to save their parties. On Thursday, he said that the BJP will never betray anyone. We will always follow the alliance dharma. In the upcoming elections too, the BJP will wholeheartedly support NCP leader Ajit Pawar and Senas Eknath Shinde and we will contest these elections under the mega-alliance banner, he said. On Ajit Pawars recent comment that he would be fielding candidates in Baramati, Shirur, Satara and Raigad for the Lok Sabha election, Bawankule said no discussion on seat-sharing had taken place. Ajit Dada has spoken about the seats his party holds and we have no objection to his statement. However, as far as overall seat-sharing is concerned, we have not yet formed a state parliamentary board to start discussions. It will not happen this month at least, Bawankule added. We also published the following articles recentlyAjit insisted on NCP-BJP pact, I said no: Sharad PawarNCP chief Sharad Pawar rejected a pact with BJP proposed by his nephew Ajit Pawar due to ideological differences. Ajit Pawar had consulted his uncle before joining the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. Pawar Sr clarified that he did not initiate the meeting and was clear about not aligning with BJP due to ideological differences. He expressed disappointment that Ajit took the decision after the 2019 elections, despite seeking votes in the name of NCP. Pawar Sr emphasized that the decision was Ajits and not the partys.Wont be surprised if INDIA alliance blames EVMs for assembly polls outcome: Ajit PawarMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he wont be surprised if some people blame EVMs for the assembly polls outcome. BJP is leading in Madhya Pradesh. Pawar said tampering with EVMs on a large scale is impossible and Prime Minister Narendra Modis work is being appreciated. The BRS is trailing behind Congress in Telangana and Pawar said Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raos overconfidence led to his rejection by his own state.Political turmoil in Kalyan as BJP MLA and Shiv Sena MP clash over Lok Sabha seat contentionThe ongoing dispute between BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde in Kalyan continues to escalate. Gaikwad, in light of BJPs recent victories, announced the partys intention to contest the upcoming elections for the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat. Shinde, the current Kalyan Lok Sabha MP, dismissed Gaikwads statement as a ploy for publicity and emphasized that senior leaders will decide the candidates and constituencies. Gaikwads consistent targeting of Shinde and his wavering stance on alliances have caused confusion and non-cooperation among local party workers in Kalyan.

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