Maharashtra: Mahayuti may announce Lok Sabha seat-sharing deal, BJP likely to contest 28 seats

Lok Sabha polls latest: The ruling Mahayuti alliance is likely to announce its seat-sharing for all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra on Thursday. The Mahayuti alliance comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

As per the seat-sharing agreement between the three parties, the BJP is likely to field its candidates on 28 seats whereas the Shinde Sena will field its candidates in 14 constituencies. While Ajit Pawar-led NCP has been allotted five constituencies, Mahadeo Jankar's Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) has been alloted one seat, India Today reported citing sources. 

Sources further added that any decision is yet to be made on allotting a seat to the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). They explained that if the Mahayuti chooses to give a seat to the MNS, either Shiv Sena or the BJP will have to give up one seat.

Seat-sharing in Maharashtra: Which party gets what? 

Seats allotted to the BJP include Nagpur, North Mumbai, North Central Mumbai, South Mumbai, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur, Akola, Amravati, Nanded, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Nandurbhar, Jalgaon, Jalna, Ahmednagar, Beed, Dhule, Dindori, Bhiwandi, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Wardha and Raver.

Of these, the saffron party has finalised candidates for 23 seats. Candidates for Mumbai North Central, South Mumbai, Shirdi, South Mumbai, Shirdi, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Satara are yet to be decided. 

The Shinde Sena has got 14 seats including Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, Shirdi, Maval, South Central Mumbai, North West Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Hatkanangale, Kolhapur, Hingoli, Ramtek, Buldhana and Yavatmal-Washim. The NCP has got Raigad, Baramati, Shirur, Nashik and Dharashiv constituencies whereas the RSP has got the Parbhani seat. 

Ajit Pawar on seat-sharing deal

On Wednesday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) boss and Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, announced that the Mahayuti seat-sharing formula is almost finalised, with an official announcement scheduled for March 28.

Pawar clarified there is no confusion within the Mahayuti alliance over the seat-sharing issue. The BJP and Shiv Sena have cooperated in the decision-making process, with 90 per cent of decisions finalised. NCP State President Sunil Tatkare is set to contest on the Raigad Lok Sabha seat.

Mahayuti, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and NCP, will contest all 48 seats in Maharashtra. The state will vote in five phases for 48 constituencies in the general elections on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20. Counting of votes will take place on June 4. 

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP secured 23 out of 25 contested seats, and Shiv Sena won 18 out of 23 seats. The NCP, as part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Post the 2022 split, Shiv Sena, formerly in coalition with Congress and NCP, aligned with BJP under Eknath Shinde's leadership.