Mumbai:

The Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP are brainstorming over seat-sharing for the upcoming Assembly polls in Maharashtra, sources have said. According to the sources, the BJP may contest between 140 and 150 seats in the 288-member House. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is likely to contest 80 seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP may fight 55 seats, sources said. Three seats have been set aside for smaller allies.

The NDA Mahayuti alliance faces the formidable Opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and NCP the faction led by Sharad Pawar. In the Lok Sabha election months back, the Maha Vikas Aghadi pulled off a stellar show, winning 30 out of the 48 parliamentary seats in the state. The Mahayuti, which managed 17 seats, will be looking to make a comeback in the state polls, expected this winter.

In the 2019 Maharashtra polls, the alliance of BJP and undivided Shiv Sena had scored a thumping win. The long-term allies then parted ways over the Chief Minister post and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray tied up with the Congress and NCP to form the government.

In 2022, a mutiny led by top Sena leader Eknath Shinde toppled the Uddhav Thackeray government. Mr Shinde then tied up with the BJP to form the state government. In another setback to the Maha Vikas Aghadi, NCP leader Ajit Pawar led a rebellion against his uncle and veteran politician Sharad Pawar, leading to a split in the party.

The Lok Sabha results, however, saw Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, both losing their party’s name and symbol, script a comeback. The two leaders said the poll results showed which is the “real” Sena and NCP.

Against this backdrop, this state election is likely to be a tough fight for the BJP-led alliance as it tries to bounce back from the setback it suffered in the general election.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi is yet to announce their seat-sharing arrangement and the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP are likely to bargain hard following the good showing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar said the expiry date of Maha Vikas Aghadi is near. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Targeting the Opposition alliance in Maharashtra, Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar said that the expiry date of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is near and it will break on the issue of seat sharing in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Mr. Shelar also mentioned that after the elections, the MVA will break as all three parties (Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party [Sharadchandra Pawar]) are there for the CM post. He said, “The expiry date of Maha Vikas Aghadi is near. Most likely, this will break on the issue of seat sharing and if somehow they sustain it through seat sharing, it’s a sure thing that this will break immediately after the elections as all three parties are there for the CM post.”

Further, speaking on the Badlapur incident, where two minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted, Ashish Shelar said that the political conspiracy in the organised protest should also be investigated.

“We request the Home Minister and CM that the periphery of the SIT on the Badlapur incident be increased and the political conspiracy in the organised and well-planned protest should also be investigated. We can understand the anger of the parents and their neighbours but what political people were planning, should also be investigated,” he said.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with party leaders and workers, staged a protest in Mumbai against the Badlapur incident. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “The atrocities that are happening against women and daughters — 12 incidents have happened in 10 days. One case is being registered every day under the POCSO Act in Thane. We are protesting against all this.”

The Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, along with Maha Vikas Aghadi party leaders and workers donning black bands on their arms, staged a protest on Saturday (August 24, 2024) in Pune against the Badlapur incident. During the protest, Sharad Pawar said, “There is not a day in Maharashtra when there is no news of atrocities against women. The government should take this incident seriously. The government is saying that the opposition is doing politics, calling it politics shows how insensitive the government is.”

Bijnor (UP):

The ruling alliance in Maharashtra as well as the Maha Vikas Aghadi are facing multiple problems in finalising names for some Lok Sabha seats like Sangli, Madha etc, prompting a flurry of meetings before five phase polls begin in the state on April 19.

Prime among these seats is Sangli, a Congress stronghold between 1962 and 2014 before NCP-turned-BJP leader Sanjaykaka Patil wrested it in 2014. He retained it in 2019, partly due to the presence of Gopal Padalkar, a BJP proxy, a political observer said on Sunday.

Sanjaykaka Patil got more than five lakh votes, while Vishal Patil of Swabhimani Paksha and Padalkar received three lakh each, he pointed out.

Vishal Patil’s name was announced by state Congress president Nana Patole for the Sangli seat some days ago, with Mr Patole saying the former came from a family with a political legacy and that local leadership was seeking his candidature.

However, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced the name of wrestler Chandrahar Patil from the seat, despite the party being an ally of the Congress.

Vishal Patil is a descendant of former Maharashtra chief minister Vasantdada Patil, against whom NCP founder Sharad Pawar rebelled and got the state’s top post in 1978, due to which the two families have been adversaries, the political observer added.

“In 2019, there was large-scale disappointment against BJP MP Sanjaykaka Patil and Sharad Pawar was aware of it. But due to this political rivalry, Pawar convinced the state Congress leaders to give Sangli Lok Sabha seat to Swabhimani Paksha, a little-known party in the region. Vishal Patil, who was supposed to fight on a Congress ticket, had to contest on the lesser known Swabhimani Paksh symbol (cricket bat) but still got three lakh votes,” a close aide of Vishal Patil said.

“This time, Shiv Sena (UBT), which used to have only one MLA, has already announced its candidate without consulting Congress. Such steps mean giving a cakewalk to the BJP candidate,” the aide claimed.

Speaking on the issue, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, “The Shiv Sena won both Lok Sabha constituencies in Kolhapur district (in 2019). This time, we gave Kolhapur parliamentary constituency to Congress and Hatkanangale to farmers’ leader Raju Shetti. If we do not claim Sangli, there will be no seat for the Sena (UBT) in western Maharashtra.”

In Satara, Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, won in 2019 on a NCP ticket and then lost the bypolls after he switched to the BJP. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha but is keen to contest again.

The hitch is he was never on good terms with Ajit Pawar when in the NCP, and the latter is now part of the ruling alliance as deputy chief minister. The NCP has moved a proposal in the ruling alliance laying claim to Satara seat and allowing Mr Bhosale to contest on the ‘clock’ symbol.

Mr Bhosale is not keen as this would mean accepting the Deputy CM’s leadership, and secondly because traditional BJP voters will not vote for him, the political observer claimed.

The situation is more complex in Madha Lok Sabha constituency, which comprises four assembly segments from Solapur and two from Satara. The prominent Ramraje Nimbalkar family from the Phaltan assembly segment in Satara district and Vijaysinh Mohite Patil family from the Malshiras assembly seat in Solapur have expressed their displeasure over Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar’s candidature.

Mr Ramraje is currently a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from Ajit Pawar-led NCP, while the Mohite-Patil family is with the BJP. Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil’s son Ranjitsinh is also an MLC.

The Sangola (in Solapur) assembly constituency is a stronghold of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), having won it for decades except in 2019.

A few days back, PWP leader Jayant Patil rushed to Sangola to hold talks with party workers and later met Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil.

Speaking to reporters, Jayant Patil said, “The result of Madha could be surprising. A lot of discussion is going on.” A video of Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar addressing a gathering, in which he is pitching for change in candidate, has also gone viral.

Unfazed, Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar, the BJP candidate who won his maiden Lok Sabha election in 2019, told reporters he was trying to build a consensus and was confident of people’s support.

“Jaykumar Gore, the BJP MLA from Man assembly segment in Satara, is a staunch supporter of Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar. But apart from Gore, he does not have many supporters,” a political observer claimed.

Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, a NCP heavyweight from Solapur with strong family ties to the Congress, saw his son Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil joining the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and paving the way for Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar.

The Mohite-Patil family’s relation with the BJP has turned into one of discontent and to maintain control over the district, it is thinking of jumping back to the NCP, especially after Sharad Pawar recently met Vijaysinh Mohite Patil.

Moreover, people believe Madha seat has four assembly segments from Solapur and, hence, the candidate should be from the district, said a political observer.

“It reflects the BJP’s failure to groom leadership in the region despite being in power for 10 years. The BJP in the early years used to denounce such political dynasties like the Mohite-Patils of Solapur or Naik-Nimbalkars of Phaltan Satara,” senior political observer Prakash Akolkar of Mumbai said.

“BJP used to criticise the Congress. Now such families are with the BJP and the party leadership is dragging itself behind them,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)