BJP Likely To Contest 155 Seats In Maharashtra Assembly Polls As Amit Shah Seals Mahayuti Deal: Report

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly played a key role in finalising the seat-sharing arrangement for the Mahayuti alliance during his two-day visit to Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections.

The BJP is likely to contest 155 seats, while the Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Ekanath Shinde, will contest between 85 and 90 seats. The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party is expected to get around 45 seats, Hindustan Times reported.

The seat-sharing arrangement reportedly includes trading of some of the seats they won in 2019 with each other in exchange for candidates.

Amit Shah's visit on Tuesday and Wednesday saw him engage in region-specific meetings with Mahayuti leaders across Vidarbha, Marathwada, as well as western and northern Maharashtra.

One of his significant meetings took place in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, where he met Chief Minister Shinde and deputy CM Ajit Pawar regarding the seat-sharing formula, particularly addressing contentious seats.

Shah also met with BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and senior leader Pankaja Munde to devise strategies for Vidarbha and Marathwada, regions where the BJP is facing potential challenges.

According to BJP leaders, Shah has finalised the seat allocation for the alliance.

“BJP’s two allies were told to concentrate on the strike rate rather than the number of seats. We contested 164 seats in the 2019 assembly polls and have now sacrificed some of the seats. We expect the others to also compromise on some seats," a BJP leader was quoted as saying by HT.

"For the better strike rate of the ruling alliance, Shah also asked the leaders from all three parties to exchange seats and candidates," the BJP leader added.

Shah also advised BJP leaders to adopt their long-standing strategy of recruiting prominent leaders from rival parties.

In line with this approach, Prakash Awade, an independent MLA from Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur, formally joined the BJP in Shah's presence during his visit to western Maharashtra on Wednesday.

During discussions with BJP leaders from Marathwada and western Maharashtra, Shah emphasised the need to improve the party’s performance, especially in light of the recent Lok Sabha results.

He asked the Marathwada leaders to mitigate the electoral impact of the Maratha reservation issue by strengthening their outreach to the Maratha community, showcasing schemes implemented by the BJP government in the state and at the Centre.

For western Maharashtra, Shah pressed for strategies to counteract the sympathy garnered by Sharad Pawar in the region.

Earlier this year, the BJP failed to secure any Lok Sabha seats in Marathwada, a region deeply affected by the Maratha-OBC quota agitation.

Manoj Jarange-Patil, a leading figure in the Maratha movement, continues to advocate for Marathas to be included in the OBC category.

He has also warned the state government of fielding candidates in all 288 assembly constituencies if their demands remain unmet.

Meanwhile, OBC groups have opposed sharing their quota with the Marathas.

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