Mumbai: With just a month remaining until the Maharashtra Assembly elections, both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are ramping up their electoral preparations, working towards finalising seat-sharing agreements among their respective constituents.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis stated that discussions on seat-sharing are in the final stages. "Yesterday, we resolved issues concerning problematic seats through positive discussions. We aim to finalise the remaining seats within the next two days. Once the seats are cleared, they will be announced by the respective parties at their convenience. The BJP’s internal processes, including those involving the Election Committee and the Parliamentary Board, are almost complete. Our first list of candidates could be released anytime," Fadnavis said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also noted that a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday focused on Mahayuti's seat-sharing arrangements. "We had productive discussions, and the seat-sharing agreement is now in its final phase. We will be announcing it shortly, and good news will follow," Shinde said.

Sources indicate that talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have nearly finalised the seat-sharing formula for the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly. According to these sources, the distribution is expected to allot 85-90 seats to Eknath Shinde’s party, around 50 seats to Ajit Pawar’s faction, and the remaining to the BJP.

A BJP leader expressed confidence in the ruling coalition’s position, noting a significant improvement compared to the Lok Sabha polls. "The false narrative created by the opposition during the Lok Sabha elections regarding changes to the Constitution has been debunked. The recent results from the Haryana polls have given us a substantial edge going into the Maharashtra elections. Our party workers are energized, and we expect significant support from Maratha voters due to our efforts in addressing their reservation demands," the leader said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who oversees the party’s efforts in Maharashtra, confirmed that seat-sharing discussions among the MVA constituents are ongoing, and an announcement will be made soon. "We are continuously holding seat-sharing meetings, and a formal announcement will follow shortly," Chennithala told reporters.

There have been some tensions in the seat-sharing negotiations between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress. Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole, addressing these issues, said, "If Sanjay Raut is influencing Uddhav Thackeray, that’s their concern. Our responsibility is to communicate the truth about our leaders, and we are doing that. We have nothing more to say about what Sanjay Raut does."

Patole also clarified the leadership structure within the MVA, stating, "Sanjay Raut is Uddhav Thackeray’s leader. Our leaders are Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, while the leader of the NCP (SCP) is Sharad Pawar. None of these leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Mallikarjun Kharge, or Rahul Gandhi, are present in the seat-sharing committee meetings, but the committee operates under their guidance."

Chennithala also met with Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday. "I visited Uddhav Thackeray today to check on his health following his recent hospital stay. He is doing well, and the health of Maha Vikas Aghadi is also strong," Chennithala said, speaking to the media.

Both Patole and Raut spoke to reporters on Saturday, expressing concerns over the transparency of the upcoming elections. Patole stated, "As Sanjay Raut mentioned, the Mahayuti government, fearing defeat, is allegedly removing the names of genuine voters and adding fake ones. We have submitted a letter to the Election Commission regarding this. We are not seeing transparency in the election process."

Patole also mentioned that an MVA delegation met with Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer to address concerns about alleged voter list manipulation. Sanjay Raut further accused the ruling coalition of attempting to add "bogus voters" to the rolls.

Maharashtra is set to go to the polls on November 20, with the results scheduled to be announced on November 23.
Agencies