Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019: BJP Gets Lion's Share, Shiv Sena Agrees on Fewer Seats, Says Report

Mumbai, September 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena has reportedly reached to an understanding on seat-sharing for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2019. Of the 288 seats, the BJP will keep the lion's share, fielding its candidates in 144 constituencies, a report said on Thursday. The Shiv Sena has agreed to contest on fewer seats and will field candidates in 126 constituencies, the report added. Ramdas Athawale Demands BJP-Shiv Sena to Allot 10 Seats to RPI For Contesting in Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019.

The remaining 18 seats will be distributed among smaller allies. The Shiv Sena will also get Deputy Chief Minister's post, the report stated. The ruling alliance sealed the seat-sharing pact during an internal meeting of the BJP where party chief Amit Shah, party's working president JP Nadda and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were present. While Shiv Sena wanted an equal number of seats, the BJP was keen to contest more number of seats than its ally. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019: Congress-NCP to Contest on 125 Seats Each.

Before sealing alliance for the Lok Sabha elections, both the BJP and Shiv Sena had agreed to contest an equal number of seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections. However, after the BJP returned to power at the Centre with a bigger mandate, party leaders were of the view that seats shouldn't be divided equally between the two main partners. In the 2014 assembly elections, Shiv Sena had won 63 seats, while BJP had bagged 123 seats.

Initially, the Shiv Sena was not in favour of contesting a lesser number of seats than the BJP. The Thackeray-led party had pointed to the fact that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised before the Lok Sabha elections that seat distribution for assembly polls will be equal for both the partners. However, in the end, it appears the Shiv Sena has relented and agreed on contesting fewer seats.

So far there has been no official word from either of the party about seat-sharing. Polling in Maharashtra will be held on October 21. The counting of votes will take place on October 24 and the results will be announced on the same day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2019 08:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).