Maharashtra Assembly polls: Mahayuti, MVA race to announce seat-sharing

With a month left for Maharashtra assembly polls, both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi have stepped up their electoral preparations are working towards announcing the seat-sharing among their constituents.

BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the discussion regarding seat sharing is in the final stage.

"Yesterday we cleared the problematic seats by having a positive discussion. We will clear the few remaining seats in the next two days, we have decided that the cleared seats should be announced by that party at their convenience. In the system of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the processes like the Election Committee, and Parliamentary Board have almost come to an end. Our first list can come anytime," he said.

 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that a meeting was held with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday. "Mahayuti's seat-sharing was discussed and positive discussions were held. The discussions are in the final phase. The seat sharing will be finalised soon and we will give you the good news," he said.
 

Sources said following talks between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the seat sharing formula has been almost finalised.

They said seat-sharing formula for 288 seats in Maharashtra assembly was finalised in the national capital.

"The party led by Eknath Shinde group is expected to contest 85-90 seats, while Ajt Pawar may get 50 seats with the remaining seats will be contested by the BJP," a source said.

A BJP leader said that the ruling coalition has considerably improved its position compared to the Lok Sabha polls.

"Fake narrative set by opposition during Lok Sabha polls regarding change in Constitution has now been busted. Haryana poll results are going to give us a lot of edge in Maharashtra elections. The worker is now charged up. Maratha voters will also vote for us in a big way as we have taken steps for resolving the demand for reservation," he said.

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who is party's in-charge for Maharashtra, said on Saturday that seat-sharing meetings for assembly polls were being held between Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents and an announcement is expected to be made soon.

"Seat-sharing meetings are continuously taking place...We will soon announce it," he told reporters.

Some rumblings appeared to have earlier erupted in the seat-sharing talks between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress .

Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole said on Saturday that if Sanjay Raut was controlling Uddhav Thackeray, that is their issue.

"If Sanjay Raut is controlling Uddhav Thackeray, that is their issue. We have the responsibility of telling the reality of our leaders and we are doing that. We do not want to speak anything on what Sanjay Raut does.

"Patole also said that Sanjay Raut was the leader of Uddhav Thackeray and Patole's leaders were Malikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the leader of NCP (SCP) was Sharad Pawar.

"Sanjay Raut is the leader of Uddhav Thackeray. Our leaders are Malikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the leader of the NCP (SCP) is Sharad Pawar. In the seat-sharing committee, neither Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Malikarjun Kharge nor Rahul Gandhi remain present. But the committee has been formed at the orders of these leaders," he said.

Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday met Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray.

"I met Uddhav Thackeray today. He was in the hospital recently so I went to inquire about his health. 'Vo ab theek hai aur Maha Vikas Aghadi ka bhi tabeyat theek hai," Chennithala said while talking to the media.

Patole and Raut were among MVA leaders who talked to the media on Saturday and alleged that they do not see transparency in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

"As Sanjay Raut said the Mahayuti government, in the fear of losing the elections, is removing the names of the original people from the elections and including bogus voters...We have written a letter to the Election Commission...We are not seeing any kind of transparency in the elections," Patole told reporters here.

He also said that MVA delegation met the chief electoral officer of Maharashtra to inform him about the alleged manipulation of the voter list.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the ruling coalition of trying to add "bogus voters".

Maharashtra will go to the polls on November 20 and the result will be declared on November 23.