The Shiv Sena has dismissed reports suggesting a rift between Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah over the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming state assembly elections.
A senior source within the party revealed that Shah held a private meeting with Shinde in Chandigarh late last night, following a larger gathering with the Mahayuti alliance leaders. The one-on-one meeting between Shah and Shinde, which reportedly lasted 10-15 minutes, centred around finalising the distribution of seats for the polls.
Insiders suggest that Shah has on Friday called for an important meeting in Delhi, where the final seat-sharing formula is expected to be sealed. This crucial gathering will include Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, as well as Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
Sources indicate that once the top Mahayuti leaders finalise the distribution of seats, the alliance will begin releasing its candidate lists. It was initially expected that the BJP might unveil its first list of candidates on Friday, but with Shah’s meeting, the announcement may now be delayed until the weekend.
THE SPECULATION
Earlier, reports in local media had suggested that during a previous meeting, Shah had advised Shinde to compromise on a few seats, given the BJP had shown flexibility by sharing the CM’s post with the Shiv Sena. This led to speculation that Shinde was unhappy with the proposed formula. However, when asked about this alleged disagreement during a press conference held a few days ago in Mumbai, Shinde, along with Fadnavis and Pawar, firmly denied the rumours, calling them fabrication by certain media outlets.
A Shiv Sena source emphasised that the private discussion between Shah and Shinde in Chandigarh reinforces the notion that there is no discord between the two leaders. “Yesterday’s closed-door meeting between Amit Shah and Eknath Shinde shows that they are on the same page. There are no differences between them, contrary to what some reports are suggesting," the source added.
As the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), gears up for the assembly elections, the seat-sharing agreement will be pivotal to determine the coalition’s strength across key constituencies. Once the formula is agreed upon, the focus will shift to the candidate lists, which are expected to start rolling out after Shah’s meeting in Delhi.
With election preparations now in the final stages, political observers will be watching closely to see how the Mahayuti’s top brass navigates the complexities of balancing each party’s interests while presenting a united front to the voters.
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