National Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar announced on Saturday that the first round of discussions on seat sharing among the Mahayuti alliance has been completed in preparation for the Maharashtra Assembly elections. He indicated that further discussions are planned to finalize the allocation of the 288 seats.
“We had our first round of discussions on seat sharing. We will sit again for the second time and decide who gets which seat out of the 288 seats. We will discuss and decide on that,” Ajit Pawar said. He emphasized that “elective merit will be the criteria for seat sharing.”
Ajit Pawar on Controversial Remarks
Ajit Pawar chose not to comment on controversial statements made by Shiv Sena leader Tanaji Sawant regarding NCP leaders. Sawant had expressed dissatisfaction with the alliance, stating, “Even if we sit next to each other in the cabinet, I feel like vomiting after coming out.”
“I have decided at the beginning of the Jan Samman Yatra that I will not comment on anyone. If someone criticizes me, it does not matter to me. I believe in working,” Pawar responded.
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Response to Statue Collapse Incident
Ajit Pawar recently visited the site in Malvan where the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed on August 26. He expressed sadness over the incident and reaffirmed the commitment to rebuilding the memorial. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our deity, and we are all proud of his legacy,” Pawar stated. He assured that efforts are being made to address the situation and that action will be taken against those responsible, regardless of their location.
Upcoming Maharashtra Assembly Elections
The Maharashtra legislative assembly elections will be held in 288 constituencies. The Election Commission of India has yet to announce the election dates. The election will feature a contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, which includes the UBT Shiv Sena, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress, and the Maha Yuti Alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).
Performance in Recent Lok Sabha Elections
The recent Lok Sabha elections provided a boost to the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which saw the Shiv Sena (UBT) win nine seats, the Congress 13, and the NCP-SP eight seats, bringing the total tally to 30. Conversely, the Mahayuti alliance faced a setback, with the BJP winning nine seats, Shiv Sena seven, and NCP just one, totaling 17 seats.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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