Maharashtra political equations changing ahead of Assembly polls

With the election code of conduct likely to be announced in Maharashtra by August 15, the internal bickering between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party is slowly waning.

The clamour for more seats from BJP allies is also dying down. The seat-sharing formula between the BJP and its allies will be decided by August 15. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, is to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi to discuss seat-sharing arrangements, though the date has not yet been fixed.

Since early July, both Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders had been confronting one another at various venues. But, due to intervention by senior party leaders in last six days these friendly salvos have reduced. On Saturday, Pawar told party workers and leaders to moderate their public comments.

NCP hawks, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, have taken an unequivocal stand that the NCP can no longer be treated as a younger brother of Congress. They demand that it should be given as many seats as the Congress for the coming Assembly elections. It would like to contest 144 Assembly seats, of a total of 288.

Ajit Pawar is sticking to this position based on the performance of his party in the local self-government and Lok Sabha elections. In the last Assembly elections, the NCP had fought 113 seats and the Congress 170, with five seats for smaller alliance partners. The Shiv Sena had contested 169 seats and the BJP had fought 117. NCP State president Sunil Tatkare told Business Line that the joint decision taken by Pawar and Sonia Gandhi would be binding on both parties.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had said an honourable agreement is required between the two parties. The NCP will reciprocate his views, he said. The NCP has organisational strength and a cadre base across the State and can fight the Assembly elections alone but does not want to do that, Tatkare said. The NCP’s alliance with Congress will continue, he said.

In the Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP-Shiv Sena combine, smaller allies such as Republican Party of India (Athavle) faction, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) of farmer leader Raju Shetti, and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha led by Mahadeo Jankar have demanded 50 seats.