09 March,2024 03:13 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Devendra Fadnavis/ File Photo
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Saturday that positive conversations were held in Delhi about the Mahayuti alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with "80 per cent" of the issues settled.
The discussions, which included Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, centred on seat-sharing in Maharashtra, which is an important component of the electoral strategy, reported PTI.
Addressing reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis exuded hope about the outcome, saying, "Very positive discussions were held in the meeting yesterday. I can say that 80 per cent of our issues have been solved, and talks are going on for the remaining 20 per cent. And, I believe that the remaining issues will be resolved, and a good alliance will be formed."
According to the PTI report, the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is set to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, a state having 48 parliamentary seats.
The dynamics of Maharashtra's political environment have experienced substantial shifts, with the Shiv Sena splitting in 2022 and the Shinde faction aligning itself once more with the BJP, and the NCP joining forces with the ruling coalition, the report added.
Seat-sharing discussions
Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed seat sharing in Maharashtra for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections with coalition partners Shiv Sena chairman Eknath Shinde and NCP president Ajit Pawar. The meeting, conducted late Friday, also featured Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Pawar-led NCP, and the BJP have formed an alliance to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, which has 48 MPs in Parliament's lower house. In the previous 2019 elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 seats, while the Shiv Sena won 18 out of 23. The unified NCP, as part of the opposition alliance, ran for 19 seats and won four, stated another PTI report.
According to the report, as BJP aims to contest over 30 seats, tensions have arisen among the coalition partners over certain constituencies, including South Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad. The Sena MPs from South Mumbai and Thane, aligned with the Thackeray faction, and Raigad, won by Sunil Tatkare of the NCP, have become points of contention.
The meeting with Shah, which lasted past midnight, addressed these issues, and the leaders returned to Maharashtra afterwards. Shah had previously held meetings with Pawar, Fadnavis, and Shinde during his visit to Mumbai on Tuesday, the report added.
