BJP, Sena together to make strong India: Modi after seat sharing pact

BJP's association with the Shiv Sena goes beyond politics and is bound by a desire to see a strong India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday after the two parties agreed to contest the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections together. He said the decision to contest together strengthens the NDA significantly.

"I am sure our alliance is going to be Maharashtra's first and only choice," the PM tweeted. "Inspired by the vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Bal Thackeray, BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will continue working for the well-being of Maharashtra and ensuring the state once again elects representatives who are development oriented, non-corrupt and proud of India's cultural ethos," he wrote.

He also said the BJP's association with the Shiv Sena goes beyond politics. "We are bound by a desire to see a strong and developed India," Modi said.

Ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena, whose relations have been strained for quite some time, Monday announced a tie-up for the coming Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections. The BJP will contest 25 seats and Shiv Sena 23 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

The two parties will contest an equal number of seats, along with their other allies, in elections for the 288-member state Assembly, due this year.