Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar during a press conference in Mumbai, Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: In a meeting of its Central Election Committee late Wednesday - which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - leaders of the BJP deliberated over 100-odd seats in Maharashtra where the party has sitting MLAs, and a list of names is expected soon. The BJP will also announce a seat-sharing arrangement with its Mahayuti partners Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction).
Sources in the BJP said that for most of the seats over which deliberations took place, the state unit has shortlisted atleast 3 to 4 names, which were then finalised in the meeting on Wednesday. As is the norm in the BJP, atleast 35-40 per cent of the sitting MLAs could be dropped.
While the alliance partners will retain the seats with their respective sitting MLAs – BJP on 102 seats, Shiv Sena (Eknath) on 38 seats and NCP on 40 seats – the saffron party leaders said that the seat-sharing arrangement in the remaining 76 seats will be made public soon.
The BJP will kickstart its campaign before Diwali, said leaders, and unlike Haryana, where he held only 4 rallies, the party is planning several rallies by PM Modi in a bid to garner more votes. “Especially in areas where the presence of the OBC community is prominent, and areas where there are women,” said a leader who was part of the meeting on Wednesday.
Sources also indicated that the BJP leadership is unlikely to insist on a change in the chief ministerial face, even though the state unit leaders were keen to do so. “The policies and schemes of the Eknath Shinde government have only led to his popularity; he is a strong Maratha face, so the probability of a change is not high,” the sources revealed. The BJP had not changed its CM face in Haryana, too, despite the party facing strong anti-incumbency.
Ahead of the announcement of the poll schedule (to be held on November 20), the Shinde government, in populist moves, waived off the tolls for light vehicles in five entry points to Mumbai, as well as a hike of 11.53 per cent in Diwali bonus for state government employees. The alliance is also keen on cashing in on the Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women receive a bonus of Rs 3000 per month.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, too, is set to name its candidates soon, with NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar stating that on 200 seats, the alliance has already reached a consensus.