BJP Can Contest 32 Lok Sabha Seats In Maharashtra, Shinde's Shiv Sena 11 And Ajit Pawar's NCP Five: Report

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to contest 32 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra as Union Home Minister Amit Shah is known to have settled the seat-sharing deal with the ally parties, Indian Express reported.

This can be seen as a win for the BJP as Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were demanding many more seats than what they have settled for now.

Shiv Sena will contest 11 seats, while the NCP will contest five seats. The deal was settled after Shah met Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde and two Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

Earlier, Shinde's Shiv Sena wanted to contest all 18 seats that the undivided Shiv Sena won in the 2019 elections, while Ajit's NCP was pressing for 10 seats. Currently, Shinde Sena has 12 MPs, while Ajit's NCP only has one.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP contested in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena on 25 seats and won 23 of them. With now plans to contest 32 seats, the party seems to have increased its stature in the state.