With the assembly elections in Maharashtra drawing closer, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to raise the poll expenditure limit per candidate from the existing Rs 28 lakh to Rs 70 lakh.

Shiv Sena was supported by other parties

The demand raised by the Sena was supported by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), and also by Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai made the representation to the ECI during the meeting of public representatives in Mumbai with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra.

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The poll panel is in Mumbai to review the preparedness for the elections, due in October. The resolution stated that the election expenditure limit for each candidate should be increased to Rs 70 lakh from the existing Rs 28 lakh. Desai said the ECI has informed that polls will be held through EVMs and Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in a free and fair manner.

BJP-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.

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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. 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. 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.

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(With PTI inputs)