UP assembly polls: Shiv Sena to contest over 300 seats

Lucknow, Aug 4: BJP's ally Shiv Sena is reportedly planning to contest on more than 300 assembly seats in 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

A report published in TOI said that Sena has already started shortlisting candidates for Uttar Pradesh polls that are slated to be held next year.

Sena's media cell in-charge Vineet Chaudhary was quoted saying as, "The party will be contesting in more than 300 seats and we have already finalised names of 30 candidates."

On Tuesday, atleast 40 candidates were interviewed at the residence of party's Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire in Delhi. Mumbai MP Gajanan Kirtikar was also present during the interview.

From Septemeber, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with other senior party members is likely to hold roadshows across Uttar Pradesh.

During Bihar assembly elections in Oct 2015, Shiv Sena had contested on 80 seats on its own and had received more than two lakh votes, giving its morale, a major boost to contest outside Maharashtra.

In Bihar, Sena had projected candidates against the BJP, although it could not win a single seat. [Shiv Sena takes potshots at BJP over Bihar poll outcome]

The battle of power for Uttar Pradesh seems to be an interesting one with Samajwadi Party, BSP, BJP, Congress, AAP and Shiv Sena, indulging in intensive election campaigns, in coming days.

Shiv Sena, which is in an alliance with the BJP both in the state and the Centre, had also contested in Muzaffarnagar and Bikapur bypolls in 2015.

OneIndia News