Mahayuti seat-sharing talks in final stages, confirms Devendra Fadnavis – India TV

As the Election Commission of India announced the dates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, political parties across the state stepped up their preparations, especially by reaching a consensus with their allies on seat-sharing arrangements. While the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi party is reportedly in the final stages of seat-sharing pact talks, the ruling Mahayuti alliance – comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – also confirmed its strong joint presence for the upcoming elections, noting that their talks are also in their final stages.

Addressing the media, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday gave updates on the alliance’s preparations. He elaborated on the discussions about the distribution of seats between the three parties. “Our discussion on seat sharing is in its final stages. Yesterday we resolved issues with problematic seats through positive discussions. We will finalize the remaining seats in the next two days. It has been decided that the vacant seats should be announced by the respective party at their convenience,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

“In the Bharatiya Janata Party, processes like Election Commission and Parliamentary Board meetings are almost complete. Our first list of candidates can be released at any time,” Fadnavis added.

Besides Fadnavis, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also spoke about the ongoing talks between the alliance partners. “A meeting was held yesterday with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Mahayuti’s seat allocation was discussed and positive progress was made. Discussions are in the final stages and the seat allocation arrangement will be finalized soon. We will have good news soon,” the Prime Minister noted.

About the Maharashtra Assembly elections

The Assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20. Votes for the state will be counted on November 23. The BJP is keen to retain power in Maharashtra along with allies Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is facing a challenge from the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of Congress-NCPSP-Shiv SenaUBT, which is hoping to repeat its performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The opposition-MVA alliance won 31 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections.