The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has sought to contest 107 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The development came even as Home Minister Amit Shah met with the Chief Minister and his deputy – Ajit Pawar – at the Mumbai airport on Monday. Members of the tri-party Mahayuti will reportedly contest the upcoming polls under the Shinde's leadership.
According to a News18 report quoting sources, the Shive Sena has presented a detailed proposal outlining its request for 107 seats to the BJP high command. The missive included a constituency-wise breakdown of caste dynamics, the relative strength of Shiv Sena candidates versus those of its allies and the names of potential Sena leaders who can be fielded from these seats.
Meanwhile PTI quoted sources to add that Shah had assured Shinde and Pawar of a "respectful" distribution of assembly seats among the partners of the ruling coalition. The BJP is reportedly aiming to to contest 160 seats in the upcoming elections.
Both Shinde and the BJP are keen on pitting the Shiv Sena against members of its breakaway faction (led by Uddhav Thackeray). The elections will be something of a prestige battle for the CM — his first major test since taking over the reins of the party.
The News18 report quoted insiders familiar with the ongoing negotiations to add that the Shiv Sena chief was particularly keen on getting the maximum number of seats in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region — traditionally considered a party stronghold. Shinde has also sought to fight constituencies where the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction is likely to field candidates.
Meanwhile the Opposition Congress said that an internal survey of 150 seats in Maharashtra had predicted a win for the party in at least 85 constituencies. Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are likely to be held in November.
(With inputs from agencies)
