Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) will be in Maharashtra for seat-sharing discussion. Meanwhile, there were reports of disagreements in Maharashtra among the ruling NDA partners over how seats will be shared, as well as internal conflicts within the BJP. Shah will be meeting BJP Leader and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena Faction Leader and CM Eknath Shinde, Nationalist Congress Faction and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and try to find out middle way.
What is dispute over seat sharing?
The three allies are locked in a dispute over seat sharing as the BJP is seeking to contest in more than 25 seats. The BJP plans to contest in 30 to 32 seats in Maha- rashtra but this plan is being resisted by its allies-the NCP (Ajit) and Shiv Sena.
He will focus on resolving issues related to Vidarbha, Marathwada, and North Maharashtra specifically. On Saturday BJP released its first list of 195 candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha election.
What is seat sharing demands?
In the ongoing discussions about who gets to contest how many seats in the upcoming elections, Ajit Pawar's NCP is eyeing 10 to 12 seats, while the Shiv Sena is pushing for at least 18. The BJP's argument in the seat-sharing talks with its allies is that both the NCP and Shiv Sena have gone through internal rifts, making them weaker. So, according to the BJP, it doesn't make sense for these parties to demand an equal share of seats.
The BJP is also pointing out that Lok Sabha MPs from the NCP and Shiv Sena have taken sides with either Sharad Pawar or Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray factions, complicating the allocation process. A BJP leader mentioned that it's uncertain whether Shiv Sena leader Shan's visit to Mumbai will resolve the issue. The BJP suspects that NCP (Ajit) and Shiv Sena (Shinde) are intentionally restricting the number of seats given to their party. This, according to a senior BJP leader, might be a strategy to make the BJP seem more dependent on allies to form a government at the Centre.
Amit Shah Maharashtra Schedule
During his tour, Amit Shah organized various programs in three districts, including a public meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar city.
BJP national leader Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Maharashtra on March 5. He will participate in different events in Akola, Jalgaon, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts. Shah will join a cluster meeting in Akola and a youth meeting in Jalgaon. Additionally, a public meeting will be held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. This visit hints at strong preparations by the BJP.
Sambhajinagar tour was canceled twice before...
During his upcoming visit on March 5, Amit Shah will conduct a public meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. This meeting had been planned twice before but got canceled due to various reasons. Initially scheduled for September 17, preparations were made, but Shah had to cancel due to conflicting programs. Another attempt was set for February 15, aimed at reviewing preparations in 15 Lok Sabha constituencies in Akola, Jalgaon, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Unfortunately, this tour was also called off. Now, it seems Amit Shah will finally visit on March 5.