Election Commission of India (ECI) reviewed poll preparedness on September 18, ahead of upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections which are due in October-November, 2019. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora along with officials of the state election commission and state police officers met political parties who are vying for the elections.

Parties put forth their requests to the election commission

"Election Commission is looking after the poll preparation. They are meeting with political parties. We told them that the Commission should prepare a plan since Diwali festival is also coinciding. We said that the election should be held in phases. We demanded that the Media Certification Committee should be open 24x7 and approve publicity material quickly. We also requested that expenditure of a candidate should also be increased," Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai told ANI. 

"We requested that election expenditure should be increased. There is also a deadline for permission for only 24 hours. We have urged that it should be increased to seven days," NCP leader Nawab Malik said. 

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BJP-Shiv Sena alliance continues

The BJP is contesting to retain power in the state with its ally Shiv Sena, while the NCP and the Congress have decided to contest the polls together.

Amid speculations that the BJP might not agree to the seat-sharing formula being proposed by it for upcoming assembly elections, the Shiv Sena has been conducting interviews of ticket aspirants for all the 288 assembly seats and reviewed its poll preparedness on Sunday at a party meeting. Shiv Sena is stressing on the 50:50 seat-sharing formula for the upcoming polls, whereas BJP is eyeing more seats to accommodate leaders from other parties who have joined the party recently.

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Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, who is currently touring Konkan region as a part of his 'Jan Aashirwad Yatra', maintained the Shiv Sena will go by the 50:50 formula announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while declaring the alliance in February. 

In 2014 elections, the Shiv Sena and the BJP had contested the assembly elections separately, as the seat-sharing talks between the two parties collapsed at the last moment. The two parties came together after the elections to form the government with BJP winning 122 seats and Shiv Sena with 63.

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NCP and Congress join hands for Maharashtra elections

On the other end, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the NCP and Indian National Congress (INC) will contest 125 seats each in the upcoming polls while 38 seats are given to smaller allies across the state. 

READ | Shiv Sena and BJP review poll preparedness for Maharashtra Elections

(With inputs from ANI)