With the Maharashtra elections fast approaching, the list of candidates is being released. Amidst this, the opposition coalition Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) has reached an agreement on seat sharing. Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (UBT) announced on Wednesday that they will contest 85 seats each. However, deliberations on some seats continue. Addressing a press conference, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut stated that consensus has been reached on 270 out of the total 288 seats for the November 20 elections.
Raut added, "We are also including the Samajwadi Party, PWP, CPI(M), CPI, and Aam Aadmi Party in the coalition. Discussions continue for the remaining seats. We've amicably reached consensus on 270 seats. Of these, 255 seats will be divided among Congress, Shiv Sena UBT, and NCP (Sharad Pawar). MVA stands united against the Mahayuti government. We are all together here. The last meeting was under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, who directed us to announce the MVA's seat-sharing formula to the media."
During the press conference, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole mentioned that it's decided that Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 85 seats each and discussions with other allied parties for the remaining 18 seats will conclude by Thursday. A detailed list will be released then. We are contesting the elections as Mahavikas Aghadi and we'll form the government."
Current Political Strength of Each Party
In the current Maharashtra assembly landscape, BJP holds 103 seats, Shiv Sena (Shinde) has 40, NCP (Ajit Pawar) has 40, and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi has three MLAs. Within the MVA, Congress has 43, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) 13 MLAs. The Maharashtra assembly also includes two MLAs each from the Samajwadi Party, AIMIM, PWP, and BJP, as well as one MLA each from the MNS, CPM, Shekap, Swabhimani Party, Rashtriya Samaj Party, Maharashtra Jansurajya Shakti Party, and Krantikari Shetkari Party.
Main Competition Between Two Alliances
After the 2019 Maharashtra elections, Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, and Sharad Pawar's NCP formed the Mahavikas Aghadi. This time, the Maharashtra elections will see a contest not among parties but between two alliances. The ruling Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi will face off. The Mahayuti includes BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and NCP led by Ajit Pawar. In this assembly election, the opposition coalition (MVA) aims to replicate its previous Lok Sabha elections success against Mahayuti.
Elections Scheduled for November 20
Voting for Maharashtra's 288 assembly seats is scheduled for November 20, with results announced on November 23. In the previous election, BJP gained 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54, and Congress 44. Post-elections, Shiv Sena parted ways with NDA and allied with NCP and Congress to form the government, with Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister. In June 2022, internal discord erupted in Shiv Sena. Subsequently, Eknath Shinde led a group of 40 MLAs. Eknath Shinde became the chief minister with BJP's backing. Shiv Sena is now split into two factions. Sharad Pawar's NCP is also divided into two factions: Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar.
