NCP Chief Ajit Pawar May Settle For Fewer Seats In MahaYuti Alliance: Sources

Mumbai: The BJP-led MahaYuti has started seat-sharing talks for the assembly election, with a top source from the saffron party telling The Free Press Journal on Monday that NCP leader Ajit Pawar might be willing to accept fewer seats.

About The Seat-Sharing Formula

The BJP is likely to demand 120 seats while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena could get anything between 80 and 90, the source said. The BJP wants to get aggressive in the assembly election, which is slated to take place in the second half of October, and it is eyeing more than 120 out of the 288 seats in the assembly.

Currently, the BJP has 103 members in the House, while the Shiv Sena has 40 and NCP 39. A BJP leader privy to recent meetings between MahaYuti leaders said Pawar was willing to compromise in terms of seats as long as he gets the assurance that he will continue as deputy chief minister and finance minister in the event of a MahaYuti victory.

Meanwhile, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has more or less settled for a three-way split, which would mean that the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) would get about 95 seats each. The understanding is that Uddhav Thackeray would get more seats in Mumbai, Konkan, and Marathwada, with the Congress and the NCP focusing on Vidarbha and western Maharashtra, respectively.

On Fighting Under CM Eknath Shinde's Leadership

The MahaYuti has announced multiple times that the alliance will fight under Shinde’s leadership. However, it is clear to all those involved in the talks that in case the MahaYuti returns, the BJP would want the chief minister’s position. The BJP feels that if it fights 120 or more seats it could again be the largest party in the assembly.

One new factor this time is the inclusion of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the alliance. It is expected that the MNS could get anything between 12 and 18 seats.