Indian ruling BJP's oldest ally to contest 2019 general elections alone

NEW DELHI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Shiv Sena, a long-time ally of India's ruling National Democratic Alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has decided to fight the 2019 general elections alone.

"Shiv Sena will contest the 2019 general and assembly elections in the western state of Maharashtra alone," party spokesperson Sanjay Raut told the media Tuesday, following a meeting of the political outfit's national executive, top decision-making body, in Mumbai.

The recent decision only strains the already-volatile relations between the BJP and its oldest partner Shiv Sena, which have been going through a rough patch for the past couple of years.

The regional party was founded in 1966.