MUMBAI: Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the BJP is planning an alliance with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as the Thackeray brothers have joined forces.

Sources said the BJP had prepared to contest all 227 seats on its own and regain power, but decided to negotiate a deal with Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena has been offered 78 seats, while the BJP will contest 140 seats; RPI (A) will be offered the seats from the BJP’s quota.

"Our leadership in Delhi did not want to take any chance and risk because this decision may send the wrong message and alienate the Marathi voters who still influence over 150 seats in Mumbai. Therefore, the state BJP leadership was forced to compromise over seat sharing with Shiv Sena," said a senior BJP leader who requested anonymity.

He added that Shiv Sena had earlier demanded an equal number of seats. Since Shiv Sena refused to budge, a final offer of 78 seats had been made to the party.

"We decided to contest 140 seats against the earlier plan of 150 seats in BMC," said the BJP leader.

He added that keeping Shinde on board is a compulsion because of the alliance of the Thackeray brothers and their agenda of Marathi manoos.

"We are confident of the consolidation of the BJP’s core vote of Gujaratis and Marwaris. The upper caste Marathi will vote, but we also need the lower caste Marathi ... We expect that Shinde will bring the sizeable numbers of Marathi voters with him. Shinde has already poached 80 former Shiv Sena corporators, many of whom have a good following in their respective wards," he added.

Sources further said that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has been asked to contest separately.

"Earlier, due to the hard stance of the Shiv Sena, the BJP wanted to keep an alliance with NCP. Since Shiv Sena on board, the BJP does not need the NCP anymore. Ajit Pawar was earlier asked to focus on minority-concentrated areas so that these votes do not shift towards the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray," the source said.