Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Mahayuti allies seal seat-sharing deal

The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance in Maharashtra is learnt to have sealed the seat-sharing deal for the upcoming elections to the 288-member state Assembly.

Maharashtra BJP top brass, including state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, were in the national Capital on Monday to finalise party candidates for the elections. Sources indicated that the BJP was eyeing anywhere between 150 and 160 seats in the alliance and might declare its candidates as early as this week.

“Like the last time, the BJP will contest a larger number of seats in the Vidharbha belt,” Bawankule said, adding after the BJP’s central election committee chaired by PM Narendra Modi cleared Maharashtra candidates from the saffron pool, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM from the NCP Ajit Pawar would declare their candidates.

Maharashtra minister Naresh Mhaske of the Shiv Sena said everything was working out well between Mahayuti allies. “Our seat-sharing talks have been held and finalised in a very friendly and positive atmosphere,” Mhaske said, signalling agreement between the partners on the sharing of seats in Maharashtra.

The BJP Maharashtra core group which met at the party headquarters here today saw the presence of party president JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, national general secretary of the BJP Vinod Tawde and the entire state BJP senior leadership.

“Discussions on the BJP candidates were held and a list finalised for eventual approval by the central election committee,” a party source said. The BJP has decided to go into Maharashtra polls with Eknath Shinde as the face of the alliance. There will be no insistence on seeking a BJP’s CM face.

The party hopes to announce its candidates early to gain strategic advantage in the crucial election, where the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (Shiv Sena UBT, Congress and NCP Sharadchandra Pawar) is set to put up a strong challenge.

In the just concluded Lok Sabha election, the MVA had bagged 30 of the state’s 48 seats and the Mahayuti 17.

A BJP source said, “In Maharashtra, we expect a situation similar to the one in Haryana where voters’ anti-incumbency anger got exhausted in the LS polls.”

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday chaired an election strategy meeting with Maharashtra Congress leaders in the national Capital. State Congress chief Nana Patole, state general secretary in-charge Ramesh Chennithala and former CM Prithviraj Chavan were among the participants. Patole said the meeting discussed a broad poll strategy and contours for the alliance with MVA partners. After losing Haryana, the Congress has lost the psychological edge in the negotiations for seats in Maharashtra.

Saffron party hopes for Haryana rerun

• In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the MVA bagged 30 of the state’s 48 seats and the Mahayuti 17
• BJP expects a situation similar to the one in Haryana where voters’ anti-incumbency anger got exhausted in the LS polls