The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced it will contest 146 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, leaving four seats for allies including the Yuva Swabhiman Party, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Republican Party of India (Athavale), and Jan Surajya Shakti Paksha.
With its allies, the BJP will contest 150 of the total 288 seats, allowing 138 seats for Shiv Sena and NCP. The BJP asserts its leadership role in the MahaYuti alliance, with elections set for November 20.
Candidate Allocations and Alliances
Shiv Sena has announced 65 candidates, while NCP has revealed 49. Together, they still need to announce nominees for 24 seats. The BJP recently released its list of 25 candidates and confirmed the Yuva Swabhiman Party will contest in Badnera, where sitting legislator Ravi Rana will run. RSP legislator Ratnakar Gutte will also contest again in Gangakhed.
Interestingly, despite Mahadev Jankar’s announcement to contest solo, the BJP has allocated Gangakhed to RSP. Kalina’s seat has been reserved for RPI (Athavale), which expressed dissatisfaction over its share in MahaYuti. RPI (Athavale) plans to announce its nominee soon.
Strategy and Leadership Remarks
The BJP’s decision to allocate seats to allies follows a meeting led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. This move underscores the BJP’s commitment to its allies in power-sharing.
BJP prioritized sitting legislators in its candidate selection to prevent rebellion and intra-party disputes, learning from past experiences in Karnataka. Chief Minister Shinde expressed confidence in winning by a record margin, asserting that MahaYuti will regain power. Meanwhile, Fadnavis downplayed speculation about his candidacy for Chief Minister, emphasizing the need for MahaYuti to focus on its development agenda.
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