
The ruling Mahayuti alliance has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election scheduled for November 20, India Today reported on Tuesday. The BJP is expected to contest 152-155 seats, while Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena would get 78-80 seats, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction 52-54 seats. The final agreement was reached during a meeting at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence in Delhi.
In the last assembly polls, when it contested in alliance with undivided Shiv Sena, the BJP contested 152 seats and won 105.
The BJP has already released its first list of 99 candidates, while the Shiv Sena and NCP are yet to announce their lists. Among the candidates fielded by the BJP is Ravindra Chavan, the sitting MLA from Dombivli, a constituency he has represented since 2014.
Meanwhile, Dipesh Mhatre, a local leader from Dombivli associated with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, reportedly switched allegiance to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena after being denied a ticket.
The BJP is banking on Eknath Shinde's public appeal and intends to project him as the face of the Mahayuti alliance during the campaign.
The election for Maharashtra’s 288-member Assembly will take place in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.
(With inputs from Sahil Joshi)