Fadnavis says BJP will fight more assembly seats, alliance partners will get respect'
With the Vidhan Sabha elections likely to be held later this year, talks about seat sharing in the Mahayuti have started doing the rounds
Mumbai: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that the BJP will contest the highest number of Assembly seats as part of the Mahayuti because it is the biggest party in the alliance. But, we will give ‘due respect’ to the other two alliance partners – Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, he said.
With the Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra likely to be held later this year, talks about seat sharing in the Mahayuti have started doing the rounds. Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has said that the Ajit Pawar-led faction should get 80 to 90 seats to contest in the assembly polls.
However, Fadnavis on Monday asserted that the BJP will get the maximum number of seats as part of the seat-sharing formula for the assembly elections in Maharashtra.
“Leaders of all the three parties of Mahayuti will sit together to decide a proper seat-sharing formula for assembly polls and seats will be allotted accordingly. Obviously, BJP will get the maximum number of seats as it is the biggest party. However, our allies will be given due respect in the seat allotment,” he added.
Fadnavis’ remarks have come on the backdrop of Bhujbal saying that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction might contest at least 80 to 90 seats.
“We have to make sure that we get at least 80-90 seats for Vidhan Sabha as promised to us. If we get 80-90, then only we have the chance to get 50 plus MLAs,” Bhujbal said.
Ajit Pawar also confirmed that the BJP has promised that everyone will be respected in the Assembly elections. He was supported by the NCP Working President Praful Patel, who said that the seat-sharing agreement during the Assembly elections will not be the same as it was in the Lok Sabha elections. “There will definitely be an increase in the number of seats for NCP in the Assembly elections. All of us will be involved in the seat allocation discussions,” Praful Patel said.
The BJP shares power with Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party.