Amid the tussle over cabinet portfolio allocation, a statement made by BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule today has created confusion in the alliance. Bawankule today claimed that the BJP will win 152 seats in the upcoming assembly elections. There are signs that the unease in the Shinde camp will only increase.
A few days ago, a group of NCP led by Ajit Pawar joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government in the state. Speaking to party workers after the rebellion in the NCP, Ajit Pawar had said that the NCP will contest 90 seats in the assembly elections. The Shinde faction is expecting 80–85 seats. However, there is a lot of confusion after the figures mentioned by Bawankule today.
The BJP had organised a workshop in Bhiwandi. This time, he expressed confidence in victory in all the upcoming elections. The BJP is and will continue to be the number one party in Maharashtra. In all the upcoming elections, the BJP will come out on top. He also said that the BJP will win 152 seats, or 80 per cent of the seats it will get in the grand alliance, in the assembly elections.
The state has 288 assembly seats. Bawankule said the BJP contested on 152 seats, and Ajit Pawar's group won 90 seats. The Shinde group is left with only 46 seats. Bawankule's figure of 152 is the number of seats won. This means the BJP is ready to fight for more than that. If that happens, the question is what will happen to the Shinde group.
40 MLAs have joined Eknath Shinde after breaking away from the Shiv Sena. There are also some members of the Legislative Council. However, if the numbers given by Bawankule and Ajit Pawar are calculated, it is difficult for the Shinde group to get even the same number of seats as the existing member strength. It remains to be seen how the Shinde faction reacts to Bawankule's statement.