India, March 8 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) central leadership reminded its two allies in Maharashtra - the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - about their diminished powers over a two-day meeting presided over by union home minister Amit Shah. This has elicited murmurs of displeasure among leaders of both parties over the seat-sharing numbers for the Lok Sabha elections revealed in the initial talks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

While Shiv Sena is expected to get 10 to 11 seats, 4 have been marked for NCP, with BJP rooting for 34 seats. Shah had reportedly told leaders that the ruling alliance has a better chance of winning if maximum seats are fought on BJP's symbol.

Reacting to this,...