Despite poll announcement, Mahayuti, MVA yet to finalise seat-sharing arrangement

Within Mahayuti — the alliance comprises BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP— there has been a consent over retaining the seats they are holding, which makes up for consensus at 186 seats (including ten independents), but they are bargaining hard to corner higher number of seats from the remaining ones.

As power play is being seen on remaining 90 seats, the emerging formula within Mahayuti is likely to be : BJP 150 to155, Shiv Sena 80 to 85 and NCP 50 to 55 seats.

The Shiv Sena and NCP are both looking for atleast one seat each out of 12 constituencies in Nagpur district, which is the stronghold of BJP.

The district NCP unit has laid claim over Nagpur North seat which is currently held by former Congress minister Nitin Raut.

To counter BJP’s claim of stronghold, NCP argues that atleast on three seats — Katol, Nagpur North and Nagpur West — the BJP candidates lost in 2019 Assembly polls.

Citing this, an NCP leader said that “therefore, going by the caste/ community composition, NCP, with a secular vote bank, deserves atleast one seat” in Nagpur, which also happens to be the home town of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The one-upmanship over Dhule City seat has led to bitterness within BJP and Shiv Sena units.

The Shiv Sena feels it is their rightful claim over this seat and BJP should concede willingly keeping the coalition norms in mind.

However, BJP’s leaders in Dhule have warned that if the party concedes the city to Sena, they will not work for the candidate.

Despite intervention by the state’s top leaders , Dhule city leaders have been unrelenting in accommodating their alliance partner.

Another seat which is caught in ugly dispute is Parbhani where Shiv Sena and BJP are staking claims. While contesting for the seat which is in Marathwada region, Shiv Sena pointed they have rights over all such seats which were contested in past by Uddhav Thackeray led undivided Sena. While BJP argues in terms of organisational base they are better placed to fight against the opposition.

The problems are no different for the MVA which constitutes Congress, Sena UBT and NCP (SP).

The tentative seat-sharing arrangement that MVA seems to be closing on indicates that Congress could contest 115- 125, Shiv Sena (UBT) 80-90 and NCP (SP) 70-80. Other allies too will be accommodated.

“There are 28 seats in the East Vidarbha of which 14 seats were won by Sena and BJP alliance in 2019. We now expect to get at least 10 seats. We given the Ramtek seat, which was ours, to Congress in the Lok Sabha polls. Now during the assembly polls, we should get it,” Bhaskar Jadhav, Sena (UBT) MLA and observer of Vidarbha (East) said.

Byculla, Versova and Bandra (East) are three Assembly constituencies in Mumbai which have led to the disagreements between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) which is delaying the completion of seat sharing talks for MVA in Mumbai’s 36 seats.