With less than four weeks to go before the assembly election, the ruling and opposition alliances in the state are still grappling with seat-sharing negotiations.
The ruling Mahayuti is said to be in the final stages of the talks, with BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that the allies will soon arrive at a consensus on 10 remaining seats.
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners are yet to arrive at an agreement on Mumbai seats, according to sources. The opposition is yet to agree on candidates for Worli, Shivdi, Chembur, Borivali, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar (East), Shivajinagar Mankhurd, Andheri (East), Versova and Dharavi.
Attention is now focused on when the Mahayuti’s seat-sharing formula will be officially announced. According to sources, the tentative plan for Mahayuti may involve the BJP contesting 153 seats, Shiv Sena 80 seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party 55 seats.
The last date for filing nomination papers for the elections is October 29. With just two days remaining, it appears that neither the ruling alliance nor the opposition has resolved their seat-sharing arrangements.
Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat met with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday to try and address the remaining disagreements. After the meeting, Thorat informed the media, “I held discussions with Uddhav Thackeray, as per the directions of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala. We reviewed the possibility of seat adjustments in a few constituencies. Some issues need in-person talks for a resolution, and I’ll be updating Kharge and Chennithala on today’s progress.”
Thorat added that the MVA aims to secure 180 seats in the election. Reports suggest that Congress and Shiv Sena have yet to align on seats in Vidarbha and Mumbai.
