Shiv Sena to contest 2019 polls independently: Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena on Tuesday announced that it will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections alone, breaking its alliance with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Reacting to Shiv Sena's move, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said that for now, Sena-BJP alliance is intact.

A resolution to part ways with BJP and contest Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls alone was passed by the national executive unanimously, said senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. According to the Shiv Sena, it has been demoralised by the BJP in the last three years. The micro-blogging site Twitter was seen flooded after the decision was made public.

"Nitin Gadkari came to Maharashtra and insulted the Navy which guards our borders here. People of armed forces are the ones with real 56 inch chest, how can you insult them?" asked Uddhav Thackeray at Shiv Sena's national executive meet in Mumbai.