Union Home Minister Amit Shah engaged in discussions with Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP president Ajit Pawar regarding seat sharing in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The talks, held in New Delhi, included Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and addressed the alliance dynamics between the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP in the state.
The three parties, BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, are set to contest the Lok Sabha elections in alliance in Maharashtra, where 48 seats are up for grabs. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 23 out of 25 seats contested, while Shiv Sena won 18 out of 23 seats. The undivided NCP, as part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four.
The Shiv Sena, having earlier formed a coalition government with the Congress and NCP after the 2019 Assembly elections, experienced a split in 2022. Eknath Shinde, along with a majority of the party’s MPs and MLAs, joined hands with the BJP. Ajit Pawar also departed from the NCP, aligning with the BJP-Shiv Sena government.
The discussions on seat sharing reflect the complex political dynamics in Maharashtra, with the BJP and its former ally, Shiv Sena, navigating changing alliances and power structures. As preparations for the Lok Sabha elections progress, the outcome of these talks will significantly impact the electoral landscape in the state.
