Maharashtra assembly polls: Amit Shah assures Mahayuti of amicable seat-sharing
Amit Shah assures Mahayuti allies of fair seat-sharing in upcoming elections, urging unity amid concerns over BJP's planned 160-seat contest
Mumbai: Amid the sparring among the Mahayuti allies over seat-sharing, union home minister Amit Shah held a meeting with the top leaders of all three parties and promised each one a respectable number of seats in the coming assembly elections. He also told them to avoid public confrontation and put up a united show.
The assurance has come against the backdrop of concerns raised by Shiv Sena and NCP leaders regarding the BJP’s insistence on contesting between 150 and 160 seats. In the event of this happening, only 128 to 138 seats will be left for the other two parties, a scenario which is unacceptable to both. While the Shiv Sena is planning to contest around 90 seats, NCP is looking to contest around 70.
BJP insiders revealed that the party was planning to contest around 160 seats, and give approximately 60 seats to Ajit Pawar and 70 seats to the Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde. “In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP fought approximately 160 seats and won 105,” said a senior BJP leader. “So we will have to fight around 160 seats in the upcoming elections to win more than 100.”
“While discussing the seat-sharing issue, it was made clear that the distribution would be respectful. Amit Shah assured everyone of personal intervention whenever required,” confirmed Sunil Tatkare, state NCP president.
The NCP had two meetings with the union home minister on Monday. The first meeting was held between Shah, CM Shinde, and deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar at Mumbai Airport. The subject of discussion was schemes and their allocation of funds to the parties, files and proposals that were not getting approvals and pending funds from the Centre.
In another meeting, the top leaders from the ruling parties discussed issues such as seat-sharing and internal conflicts. In this meeting, Shah expressed his displeasure at the attack by Shiv Sena ministers on the NCP. “The Mahayuti should be seen as a united alliance,” he is believed to have said. “The internal conflict is sending a wrong message to the people, and it could damage our prospects in the polls.”
Shah was referring to the offensive statements made by Shiv Sena ministers against the NCP in the recent past. On August 29, Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant stoked a controversy when he said, “I have never got along with the NCP all my life. We sit next to each other but when we come out, I feel like vomiting.” The remarks also brought to the fore the infighting among the ruling allies.
Three days ago, another Shiv Sena minister Gulabrao Patil lambasted the state finance department in a programme in Jalgaon on September 6. “I have never seen a department as useless as the state finance department,” he said, indirectly targeting Ajit Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio. “It gives negative remarks ten times and clears files only after regular follow-ups.”
At the meeting, Shah also asked the allies not to repeat the mistakes they made during the Lok Sabha elections, in which Mahayuti could win only 17 of 48 seats.