India, Oct. 5 -- The BJP's decision to contest both the Graduate and Teachers constituencies in the Pune division in the October 23 biennial MLC elections has upset its Mahayuti allies, with both the NCP and Shiv Sena staking claims to at least one of the two seats.

The BJP's central election committee on Sunday announced Smita Jadhav as its candidate for the Pune Graduate constituency and Kaustubh Gawade for the Pune Teachers constituency. Both are scheduled to file their nomination papers on October 5.

The announcement has brought seat-sharing differences within the ruling alliance into the open, with leaders of both the NCP and Shiv Sena indicating they could field candidates despite the BJP's decision.

Jadhav, an educationist and w...