Maha Yuti (R) and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi bloc.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: With over 100-150 rebels and Independent candidates of different parties and many vote-cutters in fray for the Vidhan Sabha polls, the top leadership of the ruling Maha Yuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi scrambled for damage control as Maharashtra headed for Diwali festivities and fireworks.
In around a dozen places, “friendly fights” are expected, however, all efforts are made by the coalition parties to avoid such skirmishes.
Clarity would emerge only after November 4, the last date of withdrawal of candidature, the top brass of the diametrically-opposite camps said on Wednesday.
The battle lines for the upcoming Assembly polls would be drawn on Tuesday, which would be followed by the release of manifestos, guarantees and programmes.
As many as 7,955 candidates have filed 10,905 nomination papers for the November 20 mega-polls, as per the information available from the Election Commission.
The Maha Yuti comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the opposition led Maha Vikas Aghadi, including Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) held a series of talks to sort out the crisis and and have reached out to the rebels.
From the Maha Yuti (NDA), the BJP has fielded 148 candidates, followed by Shiv Sena (ES) 80 and NCP (AP) 53, while five seats have been allotted to allies and in two places the situation is uncertain.
In the Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.) opposition bloc, Congress leads the tally with 103 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (UBT) 89, NCP (SP) 87, while six seats have been given to allies and uncertainty prevails in three seats.
AICC general secretary Ramesh Chennithala, who was in Mumbai to review the situation, said that the party and MVA allies are getting in touch with rebels and requesting them to withdraw.
“All rebels will withdraw. There will be no friendly fights in the MVA. Our leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Nana Patole and Vijay Wadettiwar will talk to the rebels," asserted Chennithala.
Meanwhile, Maya Yuti leaders , Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, held a closed-door meeting to discuss the issue.
Fadnavis and Pawar asserted that the position would be clear once the withdrawal of nominations happens.
"We will know the exact number of candidates in the race after that date of withdrawal," Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar said.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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