India, Oct. 10 -- The ruling Mahayuti alliance has reached a consensus on jointly contesting the Pune division teachers' and graduates' constituency elections, with Shiv Sena leader Mangesh Chivate and Nationalist Congress Party/NCP leader Pratap Mane withdrawing their nominations on Friday, the last day for withdrawal.

Chivate had filed his nomination as the Shiv Sena's official candidate for the teachers' constituency, while Mane had entered the fray as an independent candidate for the graduates' constituency. Sena sources in Pune said that senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena held discussions to resolve the deadlock after the two leaders filed their nominations. "Following the discussions, (Eknath) Shinde a...