Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Monday that the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be determined through discussions with alliance partners. This comes in the wake of Fadnavis' earlier statement indicating that the BJP intended to contest 26 out of the 48 seats in the state. Emphasizing the importance of the seat-sharing basis, Fadnavis noted that parties should retain the constituencies they had contested previously, as reported by PTI.
The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), is gearing up for deliberations on the formula. Fadnavis clarified that the discussions among allies are yet to commence, and any formula will be subject to these deliberations. He highlighted the dynamic nature of the seat-sharing formula, expressing a willingness to make necessary changes and engage in further discussions with alliance partners.
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In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena (Undivided) jointly contested 41 seats in Maharashtra, securing 23 and 18 seats, respectively. Fadnavis assured that the state government is committed to assisting farmers whose crops were adversely affected by unseasonal rains. He urged officials in affected districts to conduct a primary assessment of crop losses and submit reports, ensuring government support for affected farmers.
On a different note, Fadnavis refrained from commenting on the upcoming hearings by the state assembly speaker regarding disqualification pleas of NCP MLAs aligned with the Ajit Pawar faction. Citing the quasi-judicial nature of the hearing, he acknowledged the speaker's tribunal status and deemed it inappropriate to provide commentary.
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The Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions have recently submitted their responses to assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar regarding the disqualification petitions lodged against each other.
