from daijiworld's special correspondent

Panaji, Apr 27: Shiv Sena on Thursday said it will contest 21 seats and will not forge alliance with BJP or any other political party for the June 2 assembly elections in Goa.

has been decided that we will contest 21 seats on our own without any alliance with BJP or other political parties, Upendra Gaonkar, chief of Shiv Sena's Goa unit, told reporters here.

He said Sena's initial attempts to stitch a poll pact with BJP was not responded positively, forcing it to go it alone in the ensuing polls that would elect a 40-member House.

Shiv Sena and BJP are long-standing allies in neighbouring Maharasthra. Sena was also part of the Vajpayee-led NDA Government at the Centre.

"Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackarey would submit the list of candidates on May three and formal announcement would come from Mumbai," Gaonkar said.

Sena, which does not have its presence in the current assembly, had forged alliance with BJP and regional outfit Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in 1994 state polls.

"BJP thinks Shiv Sena is not a force to reckon with in Goa. We will prove that we have enough following in the state," the Sena leader asserted.

BJP, the principal Opposition party in Goa, has indicated that it would contest 33 seats and not go for any pre-poll alliance in the tourist state, where it has been in power in the past.