Shinde’s Shiv Sena stakes claim on 100 assembly seats in upcoming polls

The announcement was made by former MP Hemant Godse after a meeting held by Shinde at his official residence

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday announced its desire to contest 100 seats in the coming assembly elections. The announcement indicates some friction in the ruling three-party alliance over seat-sharing, as the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has also staked a claim to 100 seats. The state assembly has 288 members.

Dy CM Ajit Pawar, CM Eknath Shinde, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, during "Mahayuti" alliance meeting at NSCI, Worli. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The announcement was made by former MP Hemant Godse after a meeting held by Shinde at his official residence. It was attended by Shiv Sena MPs, MLAs, district unit chiefs and various other functionaries. Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre, when questioned, said that 110 observers had been appointed in the first phase for the 100 constituencies on the list in order to strengthen the party there. “The number of seats to be contested by us will be decided later by the leaders of the three parties,” she said.

The Shinde-led Sena currently has 40 MLAs as well as the support of 10 MLAs from among independent candidates and small parties. In the Lok Sabha elections, the party contested 15 seats and won seven. Encouraged by its better strike rate than its allies in the ruling alliance, Shinde’s party is now seeking a significant share of seats for the assembly elections. In 2019, the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray had contested 126 seats in alliance with the BJP and had won 56 seats, of whom 40 MLAs joined Shinde when he split the party in June 2022.

In the meeting, the second of its kind after the Lok Sabha polls, the CM reviewed his party’s poll preparedness. The observers appointed by Shinde for the 100 constituencies were told to strengthen the party in these constituencies and see if appointments in the organisation had been done at all local levels. They were also instructed to ensure a good membership drive and to get voters to register.

The observers were also told to apprise people of the benefits of the Shinde government’s schemes such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana (under which every eligible woman in the state will get ₹1,500 per month), the apprenticeship scheme under which unemployed youths will be given a monthly stipend of ₹6,000 to ₹10,000 for six months depending on their educational qualifications, and the ‘pink rickshaw’ scheme for women drivers.

Significantly, Shinde also told his party colleagues to avoid criticism of, and confrontation with, their allies and ensure better coordination with local BJP and NCP units during the election. “Partymen were also advised not to make any irresponsible statements and avoid the mistakes committed during the Lok Sabha elections,” said Hemant Godse.

Shinde provided crucial guidance to the MLAs and MPs in the election prep. He emphasised the importance of prioritising organisational building, conducting constituency-specific surveys, registering new members in the Yuva Sena and Mahila Aghadi, and ensuring the effective delivery of government schemes to the grassroots. The CM also reviewed critical constituencies with local MLAs, instructing them to focus on their respective areas.

The Shiv Sena achieved significant success in the Lok Sabha elections, with its candidates winning seven out of 15 seats, resulting in a 47% strike rate. The party’s 15 candidates garnered 7.4 million votes, representing 19% of the total electorate, 14.5% of these being traditional voters of the undivided Shiv Sena. Buoyed by these results, Shiv Sena MLAs are determined that the party should contest the maximum number of seats in the upcoming assembly elections, said a Shiv Sena press note.

At the meeting, Sena leaders such as Ramdas Kadam also demanded that their candidates should not be chosen on the basis of the BJP’s surveys as was done in the Lok Sabha elections. The Shiv Sena had claimed that there was immense delay in the announcement of candidates in the 2024 polls due to these surveys.

The Shinde-led Shiv Sena has demanded 100 seats for the assembly elections earlier too. Shinde had demanded 22 seats in the Lok Sabha elections but got 15. His party won seven seats and claimed that their performance was better than the BJP, and hence is now demanding more assembly seats.