Mahayuti to begin seat sharing talks in next two days for Assembly polls

Mumbai, Sep 18 (IANS) The Mahayuti will start its seat sharing talks in the next two days for the Maharashtra Assembly elections that are expected to be held in November.

The Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will hold discussions on Thursday.

Both the ruling and Opposition alliance MVA are in action mode, especially when Chief Minister Eknath Shinde two days ago predicted that the Assembly elections may take place in the second week of November as the term of the present state Assembly ends on November 26.

Mahayuti sources said that CM Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar will hold talks on Thursday after attending a government function at Buldhana in the Vidarbha region.

The even has been organised to promote the ambitious Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana and other welfare and development schemes.

The three parties are unanimous that the Mahayuti will contest the Assembly election under Shinde’s leadership and the decision on the CM after the poll will be taken jointly.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that there has been an agreement among the three parties over 70 per cent seats and the seat sharing arrangement will be completed smoothly. On the other hand, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar said that MVA partners have reached an agreement over 125 seats and talks will be held in the next two days and also thereafter, if needed, to seal the seat sharing agreement.

Mahayuti and MVA leaders hinted that they have swung into action to reach their respective seat sharing agreements as the Election Commission of India is expected to announce the poll schedule around October 10.

The state Chief Electoral Officer, S Chockalingam held two day meetings last week with the Deputy Chief Returning Officers and Chief Returning Officers to review the poll preparations across the state.

State BJP leaders have held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party National President JP Nadda with a strong pitch for 160 seats and with the party playing the big brother’s role.

On its part, Shiv Sena is batting for at least 100 seats while the NCP wants the BJP to leave 80 to 90 seats as promised at the time of the party joining the Mahayuti government in July 2023.

Further, a senior BJP leader, who was privy to the meetings held by senior party leaders with HM Shah and Nadda, said that the party should not settle for less than 160 seats as it had won 105 seats in the 2019 elections.

Besides, he added that the BJP in close coordination with the RSS and affiliated organisations should work together not only for the victory of party nominees but also of the Mahayuti candidates.

He claimed that a large section of party legislators argued that the party after emerging as the single-largest party should stake claim for the CM’s post.

The Mahayuti is expected to announce a few names of its nominees in the next eight to ten days so that they can get enough time for canvassing.

As far as the MVA is concerned, Congress insiders said that considering its strike rate in the Lok Sabha elections it should bargain for at least 105 seats.

On the other hand, the NCP(SP), which had won eight out of the ten seats which it fought in the General Elections, is eyeing 70 to 80 seats. Shiv Sena (UBT), which won nine seats, is expecting 95 to 100 seats, of which the party wants at least 18 to 21 seats of the total 36 seats from Mumbai.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday indicated that the three parties will soon reach a seat sharing agreement as they have a common objective to defeat the Mahayuti government in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray who had wanted the Congress and NCP to declare the CM’s face before the elections, has dropped the idea following refusal from his allies.

Thackeray on last Sunday declared that he never had aspirations to be Maharashtra’s CM.

“Whether I am in power or not, I feel empowered by the support of the people. Balasaheb Thackeray never held a position of power but all powers were with him because of the people’s support,” he said.

With Thackeray’s turnaround, Congress and NCP hope that the election will be held under a collective leadership and the CM’s post will go to the party with a higher number of seats.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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