Amit Shah to meet Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, discuss Maharashtra seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha polls

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that the BJP will cross 370-plus seats and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 400-plus in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra is crucial for the BJP and it has set an ambitious target of 45-plus seats.

Out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP is asserting its right over 30. Sources said that it was likely that the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena would contest more seats as compared to Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

“The BJP, along with Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) will contest all 48 seats and win 45-plus. We are working as a team. The Lok Sabha is a collective responsibility. Wherever there are issues, these will get resolved through discussion,” Bawankule said.

Meanwhile, Shah, who arrived at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar late Monday night, is in Akola on Tuesday. Shah, Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and local leaders are expected to review pre-poll preparations for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha. Shah is also expected to address the teething problems in a couple of seats, namely Amravati and Buldhana where the BJP is caught in a one-upmanship battle with alliance partner Shiv Sena (Shinde faction).

At 3 pm Tuesday, Shah will address a youth conclave at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, followed by a meeting with party officials to discuss issues confronting the region. With eight Lok Sabha seats, the region is the best bet for the BJP after Vidarbha and the party is going all out to ensure it wins every seat in these two regions.

Later in the evening, Shah will address a public rally at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in the Marathwada region. Earlier, the BJP had always conceded Sambhajinagar (earlier Aurangabad) constituency to its then-alliance partner, an undivided Shiv Sena. However, in 2019, Shiv Sena’s Chandrakant Khaire lost Sambhajinagar to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen candidate Imtiaz Jaleel. Now, the BJP and Shinde Sena are both claiming the seat.

Although top BJP leaders downplayed the differences within the coalition over seat-sharing, a poll manager candidly admitted, “There are at least half a dozen seats across the state where the BJP is having issues with Shinde- and Pawar-led parties. With Shah convening the meeting, these differences will be settled through some give and take.”

“In 2019, BJP with 105 seats was the largest party. Yet, BJP handed the CM’s post on a platter to Eknath Shinde, who has 40 MLAs and the support of 10 Independents. Even the most important finance portfolio was given to Ajit Pawar along with the deputy CM post despite his total strength of 41 MLAs,” a senior BJP functionary said.

While the BJP had reconciled to these developments as part of coalition politics, many argue it cannot concede its rights when it comes to electoral politics. Any attempt to settle for less would amount to disillusionment within the cadre as well among aspirants who have worked hard for years, the senior functionary explained, requesting anonymity.