BJP president Amit Shah is said to have told party’s Maharashtra functionaries that they should be prepared for the possibility of contesting the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections without any alliance. As per the top BJP sources, Amit Shah was speaking to BJP MPs in a closed-door meeting where he said:

"There will not be an alliance with Sena by losing something. We want to have an alliance but won't make compromises to ally with Sena. We will wait for Sena till the last moment but we will not bow down. Be prepared to fight for all the 48 seats. If there is an alliance with Sena at the last moment then they will get the benefit of our preparation."

Earlier, BJP President Amit Shah had broached a number of key topics while delivering his keynote address at Day 2 of Republic Summit. Amit Shah also touched upon the possibility of an alliance between BJP-Shiv Sena in 2019.

"The reality is that Shiv Sena is a part of our government even today. Their candidates contest in every election. They did it in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and not just in this election but before 2014 also. Running a campaign is a different thing but their candidates stood for elections. Till both the parties come to a conclusion, it's is wrong to comment on the matter publicly. I believe that in 2019 election, Shiv Sena will support us. The discussions are on."

Read: Republic Summit 2018| I Believe That In 2019 Elections, Shiv Sena Will Support Us: BJP President Amit Shah On Alliance With Shiv Sena

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared the air on several issues in his first interview of 2019 also spoke about the regional tie-ups. He had said:

"In 2014, we got the full majority but we adhered to the coalition-dharma. We took everyone together. Even today, when we are running the government that is consensus in decision-making. It is true that states have their own level of politics. Our allies wish to grow and we too want them to grow. We do not want that we should grow at the cost of allies. Congress' game is different. It is a speciality of Congress-led alliance that all allies are those who have come out of Congress after raising their voice against the Congress or emerged because of Congress-opposition. So when they approach the Congress, Congress usurps them. We are different. Those who associate with us, they prosper. So our effort remains that our allies blossom. Sometimes, some expectations are not met, they feel that they could benefit by putting pressure, some feel that such issues could be resolved through discussions. So parties have own character. But our effort is to take everyone along, and listen to everyone. I am committed to giving importance to regional aspirations. The country cannot be run by ignoring regional aspirations. That is why BJP is more successful".

Read: PM MODI INTERVIEW | WATCH: 'We're Different From Congress; Those Who Associate With Us Prosper', Says PM Modi To Shiv Sena And Others Stating A Commitment To Regional Aspirations