BJP to contest 30 LS seats in Maharashtra? Minister says formula not finalised

Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the BJP has not finalised the formula for the seat sharing arrangement with allies

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to field candidates on about 30-32 of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats and could offer about a dozen seats to the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena and six more to the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, people familiar with the matter said.

Nagpur: A BJP candidate with supporters celebrate his win in the gram panchayat elections, in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI11_06_2023_000207B) (PTI)

Also, the BJP may suggest that some sitting MPs from the Shinde faction contest the elections on its, the people said, citing discussions between the Maharashtra BJP leaders with central leaders on January 16.

The state leaders have been told to convey the broad framework to the alliance partners, two persons said on condition of anonymity.

Forest and cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, however, insisted that the BJP had not finalised any formula. “I am a core committee member and can surely say that no such formula has been finalised,” Mungantiwar said.

The two persons cited above said the figure of 30 seats was worked out based on surveys and an assessment of the constituencies commissioned by the central leadership. They added that a final decision on the seat-sharing formula would be taken in consultation with the alliance partners.

In 2019 when the BJP contested in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena, the BJP won 23 of the 25 seats that it contested in contrast to the Sena which won 18 of the 23 seats contested by the party.

BJP leaders reason that the only way the alliance can improve, or retain the 2019 tally is if the party fields a larger number of candidates. “The prospect improves only if BJP contests maximum seats in the state, especially in the backdrop of the changed political atmosphere after the results of the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh,” another BJP leader said.

BJP leaders concede that its calculations, and reasoning are likely to upset its alliance partners. Leaders of the two allies, Shinde faction MPs, Krupal Tumane and Gajanan Kirtikar, and Chhaga Bhujbal, have already demanded that they should get 22 seats as in 2019.

A senior BJP leader said though Shinde has 13 sitting MPs, many of them are unlikely to get elected in the next election. “The party leadership is of the opinion that the BJP symbol and PM Narendra Modi’s face can improve their prospects and thus the BJP needs to contest more seats,” the leader said, adding that though the smaller allies are demanding more seats, they can be convinced in the interest of the ruling alliance.

“Ajit Pawar has staked claims on four LS seats (Shirur, Baramati, Satara and Raigad) and a couple more will be sufficient for them,” the leader said.

Asked about the BJP’s reasoning, Kirtikar said both sides will have to compromise. “We can compromise on a couple of seats from the seats we fought in 2019 and similarly BJP will have to compromise a similar number of seats to adjust a few seats to Ajit Pawar faction. Nothing has been finalised yet on the seat sharing, and it is also not true that our MPs want to fight on BJP symbol.”

Mumbai-based political analyst Hemant Desai said if the final version of the seat-sharing formula is close to what is being projected by the BJP, it would reflect their diminished standing. “As their leaders keep saying, that BJP is the big boss and the party is Mahashakti, they have shown the allies their place,” he said, adding that the BJP’s victory in the last round of assembly elections and the response to the Ram temple opening events have boosted their confidence