The two major alliances in Maharashtra have reached an agreement on how many seats each party will be contesting in the upcoming elections, although there hasn’t been an official announcement yet. According to sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to contest around 155 seats in the Mahayuti alliance, while the Congress will be contesting around 105-110 seats in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
In the Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena is set to contest around 85 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be contesting around 45 seats. On the other hand, in the MVA alliance, Shiv Sena and NCP are expected to contest around 90-95 seats and 85 seats respectively. The Maharashtra assembly has a total of 288 seats, with elections scheduled for November 20.
The seat-sharing arrangements for both alliances were influenced by the results of the Lok Sabha elections, where the MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in the state. The Congress won 13 seats, while Shiv Sena and NCP won nine and eight seats respectively. The Mahayuti won 18 seats, with BJP winning nine and Shiv Sena winning eight seats.
The negotiations for seat-sharing have been complicated by various factors, including the defection of leaders from one party to another. In the Mahayuti alliance, disagreements over approximately 20 seats have delayed the formal announcement. However, BJP leaders have indicated that these issues are being resolved.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis traveled to Delhi to meet with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the seat-sharing arrangements. The alliance may also include the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on a few seats.
In the MVA alliance, negotiations have been intense, with leaders of the three parties engaged in discussions until late at night. The seat-sharing formula is expected to be announced soon, with the Congress emerging as the single-largest party in the Lok Sabha elections.
The negotiations have been facilitated by senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, who helped ease tensions between the parties. Despite some remaining disputed seats, the alliances are close to finalizing their agreements. Overall, the alliances are making progress towards reaching a consensus on seat-sharing ahead of the elections.
