Maharashtra Election: Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena Begins Plan For 100-Seat Target, A Challenge For Mahayuti Seat-Sharing?

Maharashtra's upcoming assembly elections have political parties preparing. Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena plans to field candidates in 100 seats, potentially straining the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.

File Photo of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

Source : PTI

Maharashtra Election 2024: As Maharashtra gears up for its upcoming assembly elections, political parties have begun their preparations and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena is preparing to field candidates on 100 seats. Although no decision has been made yet regarding seat sharing, this move by Eknath Shinde is anticipated to create tensions for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The state of Maharashtra currently has two major alliances: the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Both alliances are experiencing friction over seat-sharing agreements. The Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar. Shinde's Shiv Sena is gearing up for 100 seats. How this move will influence the alliance before the seat-sharing decision remains to be seen.

In the previous Maharashtra elections, Eknath Shinde was a member of the united Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Shinde is now eyeing the 65 seats won during that time. In 2019, when Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena was in alliance with the BJP, they contested 127 seats. Shinde is now focusing on 100 of these seats, including the 65 seats won and 56 seats where they finished second.

Shinde Sena's Assessment Of 100 Seats Underway

To assess these constituencies, Shinde has deployed party workers, leaders, and ministers as reviewers. These reviewers will submit comprehensive reports to Shinde, determining the party's strength in each constituency. The final decision will be based on these reports.

Recently, Ajit Pawar met with Amit Shah to discuss seat sharing. The BJP is considering contesting more than 150 seats. In this scenario, Shinde’s preparation for 100 seats could act as a pressure tactic within the alliance.

The BJP has 105 MLAs in the current government, the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) has 42, and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) has 40. To reach the magic figure of 144 needed for a majority in Maharashtra, no single party has sufficient numbers on its own.

As the political climate intensifies, it remains to be seen how the alliances and seat-sharing agreements will shape the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

With Inputs By Vaibhav Parab