Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar stated on Friday, February 9, that all three parties - BJP, Shiv Sena (represented by Eknath Shinde), and NCP - will sit together to discuss the Lok Sabha seat-sharing process in the state. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to take place in the coming months of April and May, with the ruling alliance of NDA set to compete against the newly formed I.N.D.I.A alliance.
"We will sit together to discuss it and will let you know our decision, about who will contest how many seats out of a total 48 seats in the state... There is no need to speculate," said Ajit Pawar. While speaking to reporters on Friday, the Deputy CM stated, "Baba Siddique will join NCP on February 10 in the evening, and on February 11, some more will join the party."
Siddiqui, the former Maharashtra minister who resigned from the Congress party on Thursday, mentioned that he has moved on as he was 'not needed' in the grand old party anymore. Maharashtra is set to undergo polls next year. The state had experienced several political disturbances in its last legislative term.
The Mahavikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and the Congress, which came to power in the state, collapsed after Eknath Shinde revolted and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with a bunch of MLAs. This led to the formation of the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction)-BJP government in the state.