Mumbai: Union home minister Amit Shah has assured a ‘respectable’ seat sharing arrangement with the alliance partners of the BJP for the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
The assurance comes on the backdrop of all three parties in the ruling Mahayuti alliance – BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP – making tall claims for seats to contest in the Vidhan Sabha elections, likely to be held in November.
Shah held a meeting with the BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar at the Mumbai airport. During the 40-minute meeting, Shah said that all parties will be treated fairly in the seat sharing arrangement and the Mahayuti would work out a formula which would be respectful for all, sources said.
The union minister also asked to take a review of winnable seats and finalise candidates on those seats. The winnability and elective merit would be the criteria for distribution of tickets, he added.
Shah urged the Mahayuti leaders to avoid the ‘mistakes’ made during the Lok Sabha polls, which led to the debacle of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra. He also asked them to stay away from open disputes and portray a show of unity among the alliance parties.
According to sources, the final decision about seat sharing of the Mahayuti is yet to be taken and the next meeting will be held in New Delhi.
Shah, who was on a two-day tour to Mumbai, also chaired a meeting of top BJP leaders in which Fadnavis, Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, his Mumbai counterpart Ashish Shelar among others were present.
On Monday, Shah went to Varsha, the official residence of Shinde, and Sagar, the official residence of Fadnavis to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha. He also visited the Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai’s most popular Ganpati. He was accompanied by CM Shinde, Deputy CM Fadnavis and BJP’s national general secretary Vinod Tawde.
