Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | My presence not needed when talks are between BJP and Shiv Sena: Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said the ruling Mahayuti alliance, led by CM Eknath Shinde, has almost finalised its seat sharing deal for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections.

“Some seats have been finalised, while a decision on the remaining seats is expected today,” the NCP president told reporters.

“There is no reason for me to be present at the meeting when the decision on some seats is to be taken between the BJP and Shiv Sena,” Pawar said, on his absence at the talks between leaders of BJP and Shiv Sena in Mumbai on Monday.

The three (party leaders) are present when discussions concern all the three constituents of the Mahayuti alliance, he added.

“As some candidates had to keep up with the 'muhurat' for filing of nominations, they have been allotted our party’s A and B forms,” Pawar said.

The A and B forms are important documents, which denote that a certain candidate has been approved by a political party and should be allotted the election symbol of that party.

There has been no confirmation from any of the ruling alliance leaders on media reports that the BJP may contest 156 of the 288 seats, while Shiv Sena may fight on 78 seats and the NCP may get 54 seats to contest.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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