Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024: BJP Targets 160 Seats, Amit Shah Assures Allies Of Fair Seat Distribution

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing to contest 150 to 160 seats in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, with a goal to secure over 100 seats to secure a majority in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed the party's election strategy during a meeting in Mumbai on Monday. Shah highlighted that input from party leaders from other states working in Maharashtra could influence the final seat and candidate selection.

Amid ongoing disputes among Mahayuti allies over seat distribution, Amit Shah met with top leaders from all three allied parties and assured them of a fair distribution of seats in the upcoming assembly elections. Shah urged the allies to avoid public disputes and present a unified front.

This assurance comes as concerns have been raised by Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders about the BJP's proposal to contest between 150 and 160 seats. This distribution would leave only 128 to 138 seats for the other two parties, which both find unacceptable. The Shiv Sena is aiming to contest around 90 seats, while the NCP is targeting approximately 70 seats.

According to BJP insiders, the party intends to contest about 160 seats, allocating approximately 60 seats to Ajit Pawar and 70 seats to Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A senior BJP leader noted that in the 2019 assembly elections, the party contested roughly 160 seats and won 105. To exceed 100 seats this time, a similar strategy will be employed.

Sunil Tatkare, NCP state president, confirmed that during discussions on seat-sharing, Amit Shah assured a respectful distribution and promised personal intervention if necessary.

On Monday, the NCP had two meetings with Shah. The first meeting, held at Mumbai Airport, included Shah, Chief Minister Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. They discussed schemes, fund allocations, and pending approvals from the Centre.

In a second meeting, top leaders from the ruling parties addressed seat-sharing and internal conflicts. Shah expressed his dissatisfaction with recent attacks by Shiv Sena ministers on the NCP. He emphasised that the Mahayuti alliance should appear united, warning that internal conflicts could harm their election prospects.

Shah's comments followed recent controversial remarks by Shiv Sena ministers. On August 29, Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant made critical comments about the NCP, and on September 6, another Shiv Sena minister, Gulabrao Patil, disparaged the state finance department, indirectly targeting Ajit Pawar.

Shah also advised allies not to repeat the mistakes of the Lok Sabha elections, where Mahayuti won only 17 out of 48 seats.