Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is set to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi today to finalize the seat-sharing agreement for the Mahayuti alliance ahead of the November 20 Assembly elections. While the BJP has already released its initial list of 99 candidates, the other two alliance partners—Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—have yet to announce their candidates.
Shinde is expected to arrive in the national capital by noon. The meeting will also include Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Sources indicate that the discussions will center around specific seats where the three alliance partners are making their claims.
For instance, BJP leader Suresh Dhas is seeking to contest from the Ashti Assembly constituency, currently represented by Balasaheb Ajabe of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
A similar situation is occurring in the Tasgaon seat, where the BJP wants former MP Sanjay Kaka’s son to run, but Ajit Pawar is claiming this seat for his party, according to sources.
Just two days ago, sources confirmed that the Mahayuti alliance had finalized its seat-sharing arrangement for the crucial polls, with the BJP expected to secure the majority.
However, the three parties have yet to make an official announcement regarding this.
According to sources, the BJP is expected to secure between 152 and 155 seats, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena is projected to win 78 to 80 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is likely to obtain 52 to 54 seats.
Amid the uncertainty, a conflict has arisen within the Mahayuti alliance after the BJP expressed objections to two candidates: NCP’s Nawab Malik and Shinde Sena’s Swikruti Sharma, who is the wife of former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma.
Nawab Malik, currently out on medical bail, is facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is being investigated for alleged connections to underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim.
Swikruti Sharma, who recently joined the Shinde Sena, is contesting for the Andheri East seat, which is currently held by Shiv Sena UBT MLA Rutuja Latke. However, sources indicate that the BJP is backing its own candidate, Murji Patel, for that constituency.
Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are set to take place in a single phase on November 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 23.
