Leaders of MahaYuti battle to open the seven-seat Maha knot
The Lok Sabha election’s first round of voting ended on Friday, but the seat-sharing and candidate announcement for seven seats continue to be a source of confusion for Maharashtra’s Mahayuti coalition, which is headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mahayuti leaders claim that the NDA’s announcement of candidates is being delayed due to ongoing tensions within the alliance members, the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP.
South Mumbai, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North Central, Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, and Nasik are among the seven hotly contested Lok Sabha constituencies.
Conflicting interests have caused serious misunderstanding inside Mahayuti about each seat. Tensions have increased as a result of the BJP’s claim to historic Shiv Sena seats like Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, and Nasik. Furthermore, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is losing ground in the alliance due to concessions made to Union minister Narayan Rane for Ratnagiri Sindhudurg and BJP’s Navneet Rana for the Amarawati seat, as well as candidate replacements ordered by the party leadership, according to a Shiv Sena leader who asked to remain anonymous.
The leader questioned Shinde’s capacity to protect the party’s interests and cast doubt on party members’ continued allegiance in such a situation. The BJP seems to be taking advantage of its friends, which is depressing. It is essential to have a just and equal seat-sharing structure. On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition has declared candidates and handled seat-sharing amicably, giving them an edge in the election. We run the danger of hurting our chances of winning,” he remarked.
Ram Naik of the BJP objected to Shinde’s plan to field actor Govinda in Mumbai North West, alleging his purported ties to the mafia. “In Mumbai North Central, we are having trouble finding someone to replace incumbent MP Poonam Mahajan. We’re struggling to come up with an appropriate moniker since the BJP refused to provide her a ticket,” a leader said.
Bhujbal of the NCP refuses to challenge Nasik
On Friday, NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujal announced his decision not to run for the Nasik seat, dealing a blow to the Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra. Nonetheless, he said that he would support any NDA candidate running for the seat. Though the senior BJP leadership urged that Sameer Bhujbal from Nasik run, Bhujbal was eager to do so. With his name as a contender, Bhujbal conducted surveys in Nasik, but the findings were unimpressive. Had he lost the polls, his career would have been over.
