MUMBAI: With
stalemate
over
seat-sharing
in
Maha Yuti
continuing even after Union home minister
Amit Shah
and BJP national president JP Nadda meeting Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, all leaders are likely to meet once again on March 11 for another round of talks.
In the latest discussions, party sources said Shinde may get a face saver and double digit seats.
Shinde is likely to get 10-12 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP could end up with 4-6 seats and BJP will fight on remaining 34-36 seats. Political observers said even though BJP may agree to give Shinde double-digit seats, given the pressure mounting on Shinde to ensure tickets for all his 13 string MPs, it is likely to play a role in deciding some candidates for Shinde Sena based on winnability.
According to observers, if the party gets anything less than 13 seats, where Sena has sitting MPs, it will be seen as a setback for CM Shinde. They pointed out that Shinde Sena, which has been recognised as real Sena by Election Commission and assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, will suffer a loss of face and also indicate that BJP has little faith in Shinde’s ability to win elections.
Shah and Nadda held a late-night meeting on Friday with Shinde and the two DCMs to resolve the stalemate but remained inconclusive. The meeting was held at Shah’s residence in Delhi. Shiv Sena and NCP politicians, whether elected representatives or ticket aspirants, have been discomfited by BJP’s refusal to give them the same number of seats as in 2019. While MP Gajanan Kirtikar said the party must be given the 22 seats it contested in last election, Ramdas Kadam accused BJP of trying to destroy the party. NCP, on the other hand, has demanded that it be given the same number of seats to contest as Shiv Sena.
“Probability of winning is the only formula that was stressed upon. Only those candidates who can win must be given tickets, from all three Maha Yuti partners. This applies to the BJP also,” said BJP sources.
