Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday categorically stated that a seat-sharing formula for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections was yet to be finalised. He refuted a media report which quoted him of having stated that the BJP has agreed to field 26 candidates and the remaining 22 seats would be shared between its allies, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and the NCP (Ajit Pawar).
Fadnavis said the seat-sharing talks are yet to begin. Sources in the BJP said vested interests were trying to create misunderstanding between the BJP and its partners at the behest of vested interests in the INDIA bloc.
Fadnavis said a seat-sharing formula would be decided after holding discussions with the BJP's allies. He clarified that the three parties of the ruling Mahayuti alliance "should get to retain the constituencies they had contested in the LS elections while underlining the basis of the seat-sharing formula." Fadnavis said the seat-sharing formula won’t be static. “We will make necessary changes and discuss with the alliance partners.”
The BJP and Shiv Sena (Undivided) had contested 41 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in 2019, and won 23 and 18, respectively. Now the situation has been complicated by the splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party. While the Sena factions are led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray respectively, the NCP groups are headed by deputy CM Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar.
The BJP led by Fadnavis had shrewdly created schisms within the Shiv Sena and the NCP with a view to divide anti-BJP forces. Being the dominant partner of the Mahayuti, the BJP is now in a position to have its way in the allocation of seats for the Lok Sabha polls. Maharashtra has as many as 48 seats in the Lok Sabha, next only to Uttar Pradesh which has 80 seats. Hence, the Central leadership of the BJP is keen on securing as many seats as possible from Maharashtra. Both the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) do not have good pan-Maharashtra presence in the state unlike the BJP. The BJP would like them to field candidates only in those areas where these allies are strong.
(With inputs from PTI).
