BJP and Shinde Sena fail to reach seat-sharing consensus

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In a significant political setback at the state level, the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), key partners in the Mahayuti, failed to reach an agreement on seat-sharing for the upcoming municipal corporation elections. As a result, the alliance has effectively broken down, with all constituent parties deciding to contest the polls independently.

Tuesday marked the last day for filing nomination papers, triggering intense political activity across the state. Despite negotiations continuing until the final hours, the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena were unable to finalise an alliance. The fallout is clearly visible in Marathwada, where both parties have announced that they will contest independently in the municipal corporations of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nanded and Parbhani.

The breakdown was further underlined after guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat publicly criticised the BJP and confirmed the collapse of the alliance. Subsequently, the Shiv Sena declared it would go solo in the municipal corporation elections in Jalna, Nanded and Parbhani.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) has also decided to withdraw from the Mahayuti and contest independently in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nanded and Parbhani. Notably, in Parbhani, both factions of the NCP, led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, will contest the elections together, marking a rare instance of unity between the two groups at the local level.