A crucial meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders, legislators, and officials, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, took place at 'Devgiri' bungalow on Tuesday night. The discussions centered on the upcoming assembly elections. Ajit Pawar informed the legislators that the Mahayuti, comprising three parties, will contest together and the NCP remains firm on contesting 85 seats. The stance of BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena on Ajit Pawar's demand remains to be seen.
Ajit Pawar gave important instructions to NCP legislators, leaders, and workers, emphasising the firm decision to contest 85 seats as part of the alliance, and not independently. The meeting focused on election preparations, with Pawar reiterating, "We will stay united in the Mahayuti and ensure we contest 85 seats." Leaders were directed to prepare for the upcoming elections, with the seat distribution process to begin soon, prioritising current legislators' seats before others.
Ajit Pawar also instructed leaders to avoid making public statements against alliance partners, not to speak without permission, and to refrain from making accusations against leaders of constituent parties.
There is speculation that the BJP will contest 150 seats in the upcoming elections. If this happens, with BJP contesting 150, smaller parties and independents 22, and Ajit Pawar 85, Shinde's faction may struggle to accommodate its existing 37 legislators. This scenario might force both BJP and NCP to vacate some seats, requiring a compromise to honor the Chief Minister's party's positions.