Mumbai: Preparations for the state assembly polls are going none too smoothly, neither for the ruling Mahayuti nor for the Maha Vikas Aghadi. In both cases, alliance partners are seeking to contest close to 100 seats or more.

On Thursday, the mood in the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was that the party should contest 110 seats. In a meeting at Shinde’s official residence Varsha, where ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior leaders were present, it was announced that party observers had been appointed for the purpose. According to sources, Shinde directed his party members to start preparations for 100 assembly seats. Along with observers, the party will also appoint an in-charge for every assembly seat it wants to contest.

This is in tune with a demand raised at the party’s anniversary day function, where former minister Ramdas Kadam demanded 100 seats in the presence of CM Shinde. The party’s resolve is likely to evoke strong reactions in the Mahayuti as the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is also keen on contesting 85 to 100 seats in the upcoming elections.

Ajit Camp To Contest On 100 Seats

Dharmarao Atram, a senior cabinet member, said the Ajit Pawar-led NCP was keen to contest 100 seats and had started working on it. When a similar demand had been raised by NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal some time ago, it had raised hackles. With Shinde and Pawar both vying for such a big share, the situation appears grim as the BJP will have to reserve its right to contest the maximum number of seats, say Mahayuti sources.

Meanwhile, Shinde has directed his party leaders to spread the word about the state government’s schemes in every home. He has also directed the induction of new members in the party and their enrolment before the election.

Party leaders must also ensure that no clashes take place with any Mahayuti leader, warned Shinde, cautioning that there were likely to be a few seat exchanges among the alliance partners. This message caused unhappiness, as it evoked the runup to the recent Lok Sabha polls, where the party had to change faces in some constituencies.

Apart from this, Shinde said sitting MLAs would be given first preference for tickets. A coordination committee of the Mahayuti would be set up to resolve disputes were they to arise during the elections.

On the other hand, reports from the BJP said two central observers – Union Ministers Bhupender Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw – had a meeting with senior leaders to discuss poll-related issues.

Yadav, who is the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Vaishnaw, who is the Union Railway Minister, are the in-charge and co-incharge of the party in Maharashtra, respectively. Members of the core committee of the state BJP, including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the party’s state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, were present, party sources said.

The meeting assumes significance in view of a report that appeared in the RSSlinked publication ‘Vivek’ that blamed the BJP’s decision to forge an alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP for the party’s bad performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

100-Plus Race Within MVA Partners Too

MVA partners too firm on big share UBT Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, in a meeting with his party leaders, discussed contesting 100-plus seats, of which 25 would be in Mumbai. The city and suburban district has 36 assembly constituencies, of which 14 were won by the Shiv Sena last time. Only eight MLAs from Mumbai are currently with Thackeray, with the rest of them having crossed over to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

NCP Sharad Chandra Pawar too is keen to contest close to 100 seats. With a major chunk being demanded by state level players, it will be interesting to see how many seats the BJP and Congress – both national parties, are going to contest.