No difference in BJP, Sena over holding of polls — Munde

AURANGABAD, JUNE 17: Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde on Thursday said that there was no difference between the Bharatiya Janata Part...

AURANGABAD, JUNE 17: Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde on Thursday said that there was no difference between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena over simultaneous holding of the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections. He said a decision to this effect would be taken by the coordination committee of the alliance within a fortnight.

Speaking to reporters at the Chikalthana airport here on Thursday, Munde said, though the coordination committee had earlier decided against such a proposal, since then the political situation had undergone rapid changes especially with the split in the Congress.

When asked whether the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was closer to the breakaway Congress of Sharad Pawar, Munde said the alliance shared none of the political ideologies of the two parties. He also added that only an election would now decide which of the two Congress groups deserved to be designated as the chief opposition party in the State.

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When asked about Independent MLAs supporting the alliance government, Munde said those who desire to contest on the symbol of either of the party would be given one, and declared as a BJP-Sena-backed candidate.

On reports that he had of late entered into some kind of political understanding with Pawar, Munde clarified that there was no truth in the reports. "I have a good personal rapport with leader of all the parties but that does not mean I compromise on my political leanings," Munde said.