Ajit Pawar discusses seat-sharing with HM Shah ahead of assembly polls

Mumbai: After the victory of two candidates in the biennial Maharashtra Legislative Council election, NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday to discuss seat-sharing among MahaYuti partners for the upcoming assembly election.

The meeting also covered strategies to strengthen the alliance against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the crop loan waiver for farmers.

Sources from NCP confirmed the meeting, stating, “MahaYuti will contest the assembly election in Maharashtra unitedly, aiming to retain power. Shah has ruled out the BJP contesting solo or severing ties with the NCP or Shiv Sena. He assured that allies, including Shiv Sena and NCP, will be given fair consideration in seat-sharing based on winnability.”

The victory in the state council election has boosted MahaYuti’s morale, particularly after a poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Pawar’s meeting follows a similar one by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who leads MahaYuti and has proposed Shiv Sena contest 100 seats. BJP cadres have pressured for at least 150 seats. Pawar's meeting was significant as NCP seeks to secure the 90 Assembly seats promised when it joined MahaYuti in July 2022.

Shah reiterated that MahaYuti will remain united. Pawar also advocated for a crop loan waiver to support farmers affected by natural calamities and market price fluctuations. He highlighted the need for relief as the agriculture sector's growth is projected to decline from 4.5 percent in 2022-23 to 1.9 percent in 2023-24.

Source: IANS