Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Gajanan Kirtikar has claimed that the party will contest on 22 seats in next year's Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has, however, indicated that it is in no mood to accommodate the demands of its ally. On Wednesday night, Shinde held a meeting of Shiv Sena MPs to review development works and firm up the party’s strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The MPs and Shinde decided that the party will contest from 22 out of the 48 seats in the Lok Sabha, which the undivided Shiv Sena had contested in the 2019 general elections. Sena MP Rahul Shewale, “There was discussion on the Lok Sabha polls and it was also decided that there will be a joint meeting of the BJP-Shiv Sena and RPI soon to discuss the development works being carried out in all the Lok Sabha constituencies and preparations for the 22 seats on which the Shiv Sena contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.” In 2019, the BJP and Shiv Sena contested 25 and 23 seats respectively. Congress fielded its candidates in 25 seats while the NCP contested 19 seats. The Congress-NCP had shared the remaining four seats with their allies.