Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a meeting of the Grand Alliance was held in Mumbai late in the night. In this meeting, Amit Shah conducted discussions with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar. It is learned that the seat-sharing formula has almost been finalized at the meeting. The BJP is likely to contest 32 seats, the Shiv Sena for 11, and Ajit Pawar's NCP for 5.
The seat-sharing issue was resolved in a meeting with Shah. A total of 16 seats will be given to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP. Of these, 11 seats are for the Shiv Sena and 5 for the NCP. The BJP is ready to give up Raigad, Parbhani, Baramati, Shirur, and another seat to Ajit Pawar. In some seats, Shinde-Ajitdada candidates will also contest on the lotus symbol.
Shah, along with Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar, discussed seat-sharing at Sahyadri guesthouse on Tuesday night. Everything was finalized at the meeting. Initially, Shah held discussions with Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. The meeting lasted for about half an hour after which the two leaders left Sahyadri guest house. After the two, Shah held a meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar.
According to sources, the meeting lasted for 45 minutes. Consensus was reached on most seats. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's party will get seats only on the basis of the ability to win. It was decided in the meeting that some seats would be swapped while some seats may have to contest on the lotus symbol if required. In the 2019 elections, the BJP had contested 25 seats and the Shiv Sena 23. The BJP had won 23 seats and the Shiv Sena 18. Now, after the split in the Shiv Sena, 13 MPs have come with Shinde.