The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has formally requested 107 of 288 seats for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, News18 reported on Tuesday. Shinde has reportedly submitted a detailed proposal to the BJP high command, highlighting the caste dynamics of each constituency.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde, who wants a direct contest with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, is seeking the maximum number of seats in Mumbai, Thane, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Shinde carried out a dramatic split in Shiv Sena in June 2022 and joined the NDA.
Uddhav Thackeray, who is now part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, is also bargaining with Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP for most seats in Mumbai, which is considered a stronghold of Shiv Sena.
The BJP is also in favor of a direct fight between the Shinde Sena and Uddhav Sena. According to the report, there is a possibility that the BJP may even exchange a few seats with Shinde's Shiv Sena to facilitate this head-to-head competition.
The BJP's state leadership aims to contest 160 seats, higher than what it contested in 2019. The message has been communicated to Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Mumbai on Monday. In the last assembly polls, the saffron party contested 122 seats and won 105.
The report said that the BJP, after negotiations, hopes to secure around 130-140 seats, leaving 80-90 for Shinde's Shiv Sena and 50-60 for Ajit Pawar's NCP.
In July this year, India Today reported that Ajit Pawar met Amit Shah and demanded 80–90 seats for the NCP. During his brief meeting with the Home Minister, Ajit Pawar insisted on finalising the seat distribution as early as possible and avoiding "lingering around" till the last minute like in the Lok Sabha elections.
Amit Shah held a meeting with Shinde and his deputy Ajit Pawar at Mumbai's airport on Monday. News agency PTI reported that Shah assured the two leaders of a "respectful" distribution of assembly seats among the partners of the ruling coalition Mahayuti (the grand alliance of BJP, Sena, and NCP).
Meanwhile, the MVA is reportedly nearing an agreement on a seat-sharing formula for the 36 assembly seats in Mumbai. The Indin Express recently reported that Uddhav Sena may get 15 seats, Congress 14, and Sharad Pawar's NCP 7.