Mumbai: The increasing rift between the Shiv Sena and BJP ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections have raised speculation for the fate of the alliance.
The talks between the two major political parties have not concluded.
Even though Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has said there is going to be an alliance, his message to the party cadre about 'being prepared for fighting from all 288 seats' has raised suspicions.
Thackeray asked his party MLAs, MPs and office-bearers 'not to relax, and to be prepared to fight the elections single-handedly on all 288 seats', News18 reported.
Earlier, BJP president J P Nadda is learned to have told his party leaders that they will be fighting from all 288 seats.
The BJP, however, seems confident with its status as 'the elder brother' since its spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha (LS) polls.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who shares a good rapport with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, is confident an alliance between the parties will work out.
If the parties were to fight as allies, finding tickets for the nearly 30 leaders who quit Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to join BJP would be a task, NDTV reported.
Union Home minister and BJP chief Amit Shah prior to the Lok Sabha elections had made a commitment for a 50-50 seat sharing deal at Sena headquarters Matoshree.
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