Maharashtra polls: BJP may drop up to 30% of its sitting MLAs

The party is set to announce its first candidate list on Friday featuring over 60 of the 110 names approved by its central election committee

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to drop around 30% of its 103 sitting MLAs in Maharashtra on the basis of performance and local caste equations, according to people familiar with the matter. The party is set to announce its first candidate list for the upcoming assembly elections on Friday featuring over 60 of the 110 names approved by its central election committee (CEC).

New Delhi, Oct 17 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis arrives to attend the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) CEC meeting on Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024, at party headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/Amit Sharma) (Amit Sharma)

The ruling Mahayuti alliance, of which the BJP is a constituent, is also expected to announce its seat-sharing formula in a day or two following meetings between key state leaders, prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah earlier this week. The BJP has made its intent clear to contest the maximum number of seats in the 288-member assembly, said a party leader from the state.

After the BJP’s Maharashtra unit finalised candidates for the 160 constituencies it’s eyeing for the polls, the CEC, headed by Modi, gave its nod to 110 of the proposed names, according to party leaders. Around 30% of the party’s sitting MLAs are expected to be dropped. The first list will include the names of senior leaders and state ministers, as there are no other aspirants in their constituencies, and no rebellion is expected. The list may also include a few names for seats where the party does not have a sitting MLA.

State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule confirmed that the first list of BJP candidates will announced soon. Senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said, “I have no idea if 30% of our MLAs are being dropped, but the list will be announced soon. The seat sharing of the Mahayuti has been finalised without any dispute and we have decided to work unitedly to ensure the victory of the alliance.”

Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also met Shah and other BJP leaders in Chandigarh on Thursday to discuss the Mahayuti’s seat-sharing formula, said a BJP leader from Maharashtra. The three major parties in the alliance—BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP—have decided to release their lists separately in a phased manner, the leader added.

“The seat-sharing formula may not be announced to avoid reactions from within the alliance. The BJP is expected to contest 155-160 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is expected to get 85-90. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party may have to settle for fewer seats at around 45,” said the BJP leader. “Most of the Vidarbha seats will go to BJP, while chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP may have an equal share in the 36 Mumbai seats.”

On Wednesday (October 16), Bawankule had said that CM Shinde should be willing to make “sacrifices” in terms of seat-sharing as the BJP has previously done to keep the alliance intact.

Maharashtra will go to the polls on November 20, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.