Maharashtra Election 2024: Congress Eyes Over 110 Seats, Shiv Sena-UBT, NCP (SP) To Go Down Under 100

Maharashtra Polls: Shiv Sena-UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has said that all three key parties in the MVA - Congress, NCP-Sharad Pawar and Sena-UBT are likely to get less than 100 seats each out of the total 288 assembly seats.

Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Chunav 2024: Voting for the Maharashtra assembly elections is just a month away and the ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi are locked in an intense seat-sharing discussion with their allies. Mahayuti comprises of BJP, Shiv Sena-Shinde and NCP-Ajit Pawar while the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises Congress, NCP-Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena-Uddhav faction. Both sides have finalized a seat-sharing agreement on a majority of seats but the discussions are underway on at least 20-30 seats on which every key party has staked claim. 

MVA's Seat Sharing Status

Shiv Sena-UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has said that all three key parties in the MVA - Congress, NCP-Sharad Pawar and Sena-UBT are likely to get less than 100 seats each out of the total 288 assembly seats. There are some other smaller allies as well including the Samajwadi Party, Left parties, and the Peasants and Workers Party which are likely to get 2-3 seats each. However, as per reports, the Congress is rigid on playing big brother in the alliance citing its better performance in the Lok Sabha elections, and is staking claim on 110-115 assembly seats. If it happens, Shiv Sena-UBT will have to play second-fiddle with around 85-86 seats while the NCP-SP take the third spot with around 75 seats. 

Congress leader Nana Patole has shared that the alliance has finalized the allocation of 260 seats while the matter of 28 seats has been sent to the party's high command as all three key allies have staked a claim on these seats. The Congress party's central election committee will hold its meeting on October 20 to finalize candidates' names and seat-sharing agreement. 

Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) is striving to secure a greater number of seats in its stronghold areas of Mumbai and Konkan. Meanwhile, the Congress is aiming for a bigger seat allocation in Vidarbha, a region where it expects strong performance. The NCP (SP), on the other hand, continues to focus on western Maharashtra, where it seeks to preserve its influence in this vital agricultural region.

Seat Sharing Status Of Mahayuti

The Mahayuti alliance has said that it will announce its seat-sharing plan soon. The Mahayuti alliance partners are expected to retain the constituencies held by them in the outgoing assembly —BJP with 102 seats, Shiv Sena (Eknath) with 38 seats, and NCP with 40 seats. The seat-sharing agreement for the remaining 76 constituencies will be announced soon.