Mahayuti Alliance To Contest Maharashtra Elections Without CM Face, BJP Aims To Field Over 160 Candidates

In background of their second-place finish in Maharashtra in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the ruling alliance now plans to contest the upcoming assembly elections without a designated chief minister candidate.

These plans are for elections scheduled for September-October this year, as per a report by NDTV.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance secured 17 seats in Maharashtra, while the Opposition alliance won 30. Now, the BJP is aiming to field over 160 candidates for the 288-member legislative assembly.

The alliance will likely avoid projecting a chief ministerial candidate, opting for a collective leadership approach, which is seen as a setback for current Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader, Eknath Shinde.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections, with its 288 seats, will see a direct contest between the Mahayuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

The ruling Mahayuti, part of the larger National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition, includes the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar wing of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

As per the same report, Ajit Pawar's NCP will remain part of the alliance, dispelling rumours about his future.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, under the INDI Alliance umbrella, comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar).

This marks only the second time elections are being held in Maharashtra's unique political landscape, where the split of two regional parties has resulted in two Shiv Senas and two NCPs with similar but distinct names.

The Lok Sabha elections were the first major contest, and both sides made considerable efforts to come out on top. The recent legislative council polls, considered a precursor to the assembly elections, set the stage for the final showdown, with both alliances striving for victory.