NAGPUR, Dec. 10 -- After a series of clashes among members of the ruling coalition through the first phase of local body polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have decided to bury the hatchet and contest the last two phases of the polls in an alliance. In fact, BJP and Sena are likely to contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) together; and it is learnt that talks on seat sharing are expected to begin soon after the winter session of the Assembly ends. In the recent past, fault lines between BJP and Sena had deepened as each poached from the other's party and pitted candidates against each other in the recently concluded municipal council and nagar panchayat elections. But, late on Monday night, top leaders from the three parties held a first meeting to discuss the remaining two crucial phases of the polls at chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's bungalow in Nagpur. At the meeting with the CM, said a Sena leader aware of what had transpired, party leaders decided not to engage in further slugfests with leaders from other alliance partners and stop switching sides. The leaders admitted that previous violent clashes at local levels during the first phase had tarnished the government's image and may cost them dear in the remaining phases. "The meeting between leaders of the three parties continued for over an hour and a half. This will be followed up by meetings at the local level to discuss seat sharing for each municipal corporation," said the Sena leader, who added that the "discussions concluded on a positive note and an agreement was reached to contest all the municipal corporations, including Mumbai and Thane, as an alliance". Before the meeting, deputy chief minister and head of Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde met all his party MLAs at his bungalow in Nagpur to elicit their opinion on the elections for 29 municipal corporations, 32 district councils and panchayat samitis. Their grudge over discrimination by the BJP over funds released for development and during the first phase of polls was cast aside by Shinde, who emphasised on forging a unified front in order to garner maximum seats. "Local body polls are a foundation for a party and Shiv Sena has a positive political image across the state. We will fight all the forthcoming elections together," said Sena leader and tourism minister Shambhuraj Desai. Leaders from BJP and NCP however did not share a similar optimism. As a BJP leader said, with the exception of Mumbai, working in an alliance in other corporations will be a challenge. "In various bodies, especially in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), this seems difficult, as local office bearers from BJP and Sena have been pressing to go solo. There are straight fights over political dominance in major parts of MMR, including Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli. Even if we work in an alliance, seat sharing will be a challenge. We will try to retain the alliance in the maximum possible corporations," said the leader, emphasising that in the district council alliance between the three ruling partners may fail as BJP has its own strength compared to the two other parties. Elections to district councils and municipal corporations are expected to be held in January in two different phases....