Eknath Shinde gives hints on Maharashtra assembly election schedule, says… | Latest India News

“Elections are likely to be held in the second week of November. A two-phase election would be desirable. Performance and a good strike rate will be the criteria for seat allocation among the Mahayuti allies,” PTI quoted Shinde as saying during an informal interaction with reporters at his official residence Varsha in Mumbai.

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Shinde said seat sharing between Mahayuti allies BJP and NCP will be completed in the next 8 to 10 days.

The seat allocation will be completed in 8 to 10 days, he added.

According to an HT report, the BJP is insisting on contesting 150-160 seats, and if it succeeds, the NCP and the Shiv Sena together would get only 128-138 seats.

Shinde expressed confidence that his government will receive support among women.

“We have struck a balance between development and welfare programmes. 1.5 lakh youth have received appointment letters for jobs under the skilled training programme for which they will receive a scholarship from ₹6,000 to ₹10,000. The goal is to cover 1 million young people,” said the Prime Minister.

Results of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra assembly elections come months after the ruling Mahayuti alliance was defeated in the general elections. In Maharashtra, the BJP's tally of seats shrank to just nine. Shinde's Shiv Sena won seven, while Ajit Pawar's NCP managed to win just one seat.

On the other hand, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. The Congress secured 13 seats, while the NCP (SP) won eight and the Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine seats.

Following the 2019 Maharashtra election results, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena parted ways over the issue of the chief minister's post. The Sena joined hands with the Congress and the undivided NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

In 2022, Shinde rebelled against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who was also the Sena chief. The then Urban Development Minister camped along with 39 other Sena MPs in a hotel in Guwahati and later in Goa, making the Aghadi government a minority.

Thackeray resigned before the vote and the MVA government collapsed. Shinde took oath as chief minister and Devendra Fadnavis became his deputy. Last year, the NCP also split, Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit joined the ruling coalition and took oath as deputy chief minister.