Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Political Tensions Rise As Alliances Face Off In Over 25 Seats As 'Friendly Fights'

Separate manifestos and advertisement campaigns of respective parties from the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) signal that political winds are blowing in different directions.

Although both alliances have announced their guarantees independently, each party within these coalitions has its own agenda. When senior leaders like Dilip Walse Patil hint at a potential shift in political equations, it suggests that anything could unfold after November 23, the date when election results are announced.

Presuming the hazy political scenario, the alliance partners have decided to contest as many seats as they can - enabling friendly fights on more than 25 seats. According to political sources, this is the reason why the prominent political parties have decided to contest as many seats as they can - only to be able to play an important role in the government formation.

It is now clear that the alliance partners are locked in friendly fights at more than 25 seats - with the MVA having most of them due to the presence of a maximum number of coalition partners under the banner of INDIA.

The battle is intense; it has made the alliance partners unmindful of the outcome leading to spoiling the chances of each other and benefiting the rivals. For instance the MVA partners the Congress, the Shiv Sena UBT, the NCP(SP) and the smaller parties such the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) have put up candidates against each other.

For instance, Wasim Khan and Abu Azmi contesting against each other at Mankhurd where the Mahayuti constituents the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar led NCP have their own candidates - Suresh Patil and Nawab Malik. One of the interesting battles is in Nanded North where Congress nominee Abdul Gaffoor is contesting against Sangita Patil of Shiv Sena UBT.

At Katol in Nagpur district, the NCP(SP) has fielded Salil Deshmukh while the PWP has its candidate Rahul Deshmukh. Similarly at Morshi Congress has fielded Vikram Thakare and the NCP SP has Shirish Karale as its candidate. From the same constituency MLA Devendra Bhuyar from the Ajit Pawar led NCP is fighting against Umesh Yawalkar from the BJP.

The PWP has fielded Babasaheb Deshmukh as its candidate from Sangola in Solapur district where the Shiv Sena UBT has given a ticket to Dipak Salunkhe. From the same district CPM leader Narasayya Adam became furious when the Congress had decided to field its candidate.

The SP is locked in a friendly contest with Congress at as many as six seats including Bhiwandi (W), Tuljapur, Aurangabad East and Malegaon Central. The PWP on the other hand had demanded 12 seats but it got just four. Now the party candidates are sweating it out in three constituencies Pen, Uran and Panvel from the Raigad district, against the Shiv Sena UBT nominees.

For the Mahayuti the picture is almost the same as the partners BJP, the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar led NCP are contesting at six seats. Apart from Mankhurd Shivajinagar, the BJP and NCP have their nominees in Ashti (Beed) where Suresh Dhas (BJP) and sitting MLA Balasaheb Ajbe (NCP) are locked in an intense battle.

At Sindhkhed Raja in Buldhana, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena candidate Shashikant Khedekar is pitted against Manoj Kande of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The same is being witnessed at Dindori (Nashik), Shrirampur (Dist Ahilyanagar) and Purandar (Dist Pune).

Interestingly, former minister Vijay Shivtare of Shinde's Shiv Sena is locked in a close fight with retired IAS Sambhaji Zende of the Ajit Pawar led NCP.

Roughly, the MVA partners are contesting against each other in at least 21 seats and the Mahayuti partners have at least 6 to 7 candidates pitted against each other.