Devendra Fadnavis on Maharashtra Assembly Election Seat Allocation Deal: ‘Clearly, BJP will get votes…’ | Latest News India

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win maximum seats as part of the seat allocation formula for the state assembly elections due later this year.

“Leaders of the three Mahayuti parties will meet together and decide on the appropriate seat allocation formula for the Assembly elections and allot seats accordingly,” Fadnavis told reporters when asked about NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s remarks suggesting that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction may contest at least 80-90 seats.

“The BJP is the largest party and so will naturally win the maximum number of seats. But due respect will be given to allies in the allocation of seats,” Fadnavis added.

Read: Thackeray and Shinde face off in six seats, testing the strength of both Senators

Fadnavis denied allegations by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut that he, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah were trying to defeat Nitin Gadkari in the Lok Sabha elections.

“I don’t want to comment on people who smoke cannabis and write newspaper articles,” the BJP leader said.

The political landscape in Maharashtra has seen a dramatic realignment since the last state elections, when the BJP and Shiv Sena joined forces with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Read: Mumbai voting pace slow, Uddhav alleges fraud, Fadnavis seeks Election Commission intervention

The Shiv Sena formed the government with a new coalition called the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) consisting of the Indian National Congress and the NCP after talks with the BJP for the prime minister’s post reached a deadlock.

However, in 2022, Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray, split the party vertically and formed government with the BJP. The Election Commission later recognised the Shinde faction as the true Shiv Sena.

Last year, Ajit Pawar too rebelled against his uncle and party chief Sharad Pawar and joined forces with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena. The election body again recognised Ajit’s faction as the real NCP.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will contest against the MVA, which comprises the Indian National Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT).