NEW DELHI: The first news conference that Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray held to announce the alliance’s seat-sharing arrangement failed to clear the air on the number of seats the BJP will actually contest.Fadnavis said that the BJP would contest 150 seats, the Shiv Sena 124 and smaller allies 14 seats. He also said that ‘some’ allies would contest on the BJP symbol but a BJP press release later said that the party would contest 164 seats. This apart, at least two RPI(A) seats were allotted to other allies. Smaller allies like RPI(A) and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha may have, hence, skipped the news conference to demonstrate unhappiness.Fadnavis said that all allies made compromises to reach the seat sharing agreement. When asked why top BJP leaders like Eknath Khadse , Vinod Tawde were denied tickets Fadnavis said, “It is wrong to say that they were denied tickets. They have been given different responsibilities.” He denied that the party rank and file were upset over newcomers from Congress and NCP getting preference over senior BJP leaders. “Who is saying this? There is no such argument in the party. As I said earlier, some will work inside the assembly and some will work outside,” he said. Acknowledging that there were rebels Fadnavis said, “We will get the rebels to withdraw in two days. If not, there won’t be any place for them in our parties. If they contest, we will show them their place in the elections.”When Thackeray was asked whether the Sena had finally accepted the BJP as the ‘big brother’ in Maharashtra too, he said, “It is not an issue of who is the big brother or small brother. We have given priority in maintaining relations and forging this alliance. If we have to develop the state, we should not get into what is yours and what is mine.”