32 for party, 16 for allies: BJP close to a deal in Maharashtra

AFTER THE intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who held meetings late into Tuesday and early Wednesday, the BJP appears to have worked out a seat-sharing formula for Maharashtra. Sources said that the BJP is likely to contest 32 of the 48 seats in the state as per the deal, with the Shinde Shiv Sena fighting 11 and the NCP (Ajit Pawar) 5 seats.

The talks held by Shah involved Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

If the formula holds, it is a big gain for the BJP as its partners had been demanding many more seats than they seem to have settled for.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it was in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena, the BJP had contested fewer seats, 25, and won 23. The Shiv Sena had contested 23 seats and won 18. The undivided NCP, which contested the elections with the Congress as an ally, had won 4 seats.

The breakaway Shinde Sena now has support of 12 of the Sena’s 18 MPs, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has 1 of the NCP’s 4 MPs. The Shinde Sena had been claiming tickets for all the 18 seats the party won last time, while the Ajit Pawar had been pressing for 10 seats.

The bargaining for more seats by the two partners had led to talk of trouble in the alliance, forcing Shah to step in. Sources said that, ultimately, ground reports coupled with the winnability of candidates prevailed. A senior BJP functionary said: “While reassuring alliance partners about the party’s willingness to accommodate them, Shah told Shinde and Ajit Pawar to reconcile to the ground reality. He cautioned the alliance partners against unreasonable aggression.”

The thrust was that they should all work as a team, keeping in sight the larger objective of winning 45-plus seats in