Mumbai
The Shiv Sena on Thursday reiterated its stand that it would be contesting future elections on its own, a day after its chief Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah.

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena’s Member of Parliament and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, said here today that the party would be contesting future elections alone. “The decision to contest future elections on its own was taken by the Shiv Sena’s National Executive. The Shiv Sena will go by that resolution,” Raut told reporters here.

The Shiv Sena further stated that it would be contesting the elections for four seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council later this month. The BJP has already stated that it would contest the elections for these four seats.

The opposition Congress and the NCP have, however, joined hands to form a secular coalition with like-minded parties to contest these elections.

BJP leaders in Maharashtra are hoping that the meeting between Thackeray and Shah on Wednesday night would lead to a tie-up for the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections. “We are expecting more meetings between Shah and Thackeray in the future,” a BJP leader from Mumbai said this morning.

Leaders of the Maharashtra BJP insist that Thackeray and Shah shared good vibes during their meeting at Matoshree, the Thackeray residence, which ended in a dinner.

Sources say there were multiple rounds of talks with Uddhav and Shah closeted together without aides while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Aditya Thackeray joining them later in the two-hour meeting.