The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. The list comprises names of 195 candidates spanning across 16 states and two union territories. However, conspicuously absent were any names for the 48 seats in Maharashtra, indicating a potential issue with seat sharing in the state.
To address this, Union Minister Amit Shah held a crucial meeting in Mumbai. The meeting, attended by senior leaders from the BJP’s allies, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), focused on seat distribution in the state.
Amit Shah is currently on a two-day tour of Maharashtra. Prior to his arrival in Mumbai, he conducted meetings and rallies in Akola, Jalgaon, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. His visit coincides with the allies of ‘Mahayuti’ – BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP – expressing their intent to contest the Lok Sabha elections on as many seats as possible.
Shah arrived at the government guest house ‘Sahyadri’ on Malabar Hill in Mumbai around 10.15 pm on Tuesday night. The meeting was attended by prominent leaders including Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar.
Reports suggest that out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, the BJP aims to contest on more than 30 seats, while the Shiv Sena is demanding over 20 seats. The Shiv Sena insists on retaining the same number of seats it had contested in the previous Lok Sabha elections. In addition, Ajit Pawar’s NCP is staking a claim on 12 seats.
In an effort to reach a consensus on seat sharing, Amit Shah engaged in discussions with the top leadership of Shiv Sena and NCP. It is anticipated that ‘Mahayuti’ may soon announce the seat-sharing agreement. Meanwhile, the BJP is gearing up to release its second list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections later this week.
