BJP in a bind as two allies stake claim to an LS seat in Maharashtra

While the INDIA alliance of Opposition parties faces the prospects of allies walking out, the NDA in Maharashtra seems to be facing a problem of plenty as coalition partners Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Republican Party of India (Athawale) have staked claim to the Shirdi Lok Sabha seat.

While the CM has categorically said his party will not part with seats it won in 2019, RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale who belongs to the Dalit community has thrown his hat in the ring for Shirdi, which is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC). Shinde fears leaving the seat to allies may lead to massive unrest and defections ahead of the parliamentary polls.

“The RPI(A) is the constituent of the NDA. We have our electoral base in Maharashtra and I am keen to contest from the Shirdi Lok Sabha seat,” Athawale said last week. In response, a senior Cabinet minister from the Sena said each party in the coalition was entitled to contest the seats it holds and hence Shirdi was their right. “We have to accommodate our sitting MP who supported Shinde when the party split,” he said.

Athawale’s party believes that contesting a couple of seats is necessary to keep its cadre motivated. Athawale was also reportedly eyeing one of the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai. However, his hopes were dashed when the BJP said it would contest four and leave the remaining for Shinde. With no chance for his party to contest in Mumbai, the RPI(A) chief is said to have set his eyes on Shirdi in Ahmednagar district.

The RPI(A) chief contested from Shirdi in 2009 but lost to the Shiv Sena’s Bhausaheb Wakchaure. After the defeat, he blamed the Congress for his loss, saying it did not support his candidature. He then quit the Congress-NCP alliance and