Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray, who has announced his support for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, has decided that his party will contest the upcoming state Assembly election alone, according to reports.
Rumor has it that his party may field candidates in over 225 assembly seats. The Maharashtra assembly has a strength of 288 members.
According to an India Today report, Raj Thackeray did not like some of the schemes announced by the CM Eknath Shinde government, such as Ladli Behna and Ladla Bhai. Under these schemes, cash has been promised to women and youth.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, hasn't finalized seat sharing for the upcoming assembly elections.
The negotiations are expected to be intense, with each party striving for the maximum number of seats. Shinde's Shiv Sena aims to contest 126 out of the 288 seats, but sources told India Today TV that they are unwilling to accept fewer than 100. Meanwhile, the BJP is targeting 150 seats.
According to India Today, Ajit Pawar recently met with Home Minister Amit Shah and requested 80–90 seats for the NCP. During the brief meeting, Ajit Pawar emphasised the need to finalise seat distribution promptly to avoid last-minute decisions, as happened in the Lok Sabha elections.
Ajit Pawar is keen to contest in 54 seats the unified NCP won in the 2019 Assembly elections. Additionally, he aims to contest 20 seats against Congress in the western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Northern Maharashtra (Khandesh) regions, as per reports.
The Deputy Chief Minister is also interested in contesting 4–5 seats in Mumbai, where the minority community is dominant, against Congress.
