Maharashtra politics is now slowly moving towards a change. The effect of this change is visible in both Mahavikas Aghadi and NDA. Uddhav Thackeray, the main constituent of Mahavikas Aghadi, has started playing the politics of pressure directly. He has made it clear to Congress and NCP that he will contest the elections again on the same number of seats on which he contested in 2019.
If this does not happen then he will field his candidates on all 288 seats. Thackeray’s Shiv Sena has also started preparations to contest elections on all seats. Thackeray has already given instructions to his allies two-three times. Actually, Thackeray’s Shiv Sena is upset with the results of the Lok Sabha elections because they got less seats than they expected.
Thackeray’s UBT contested on 22 seats but won only on 9. Congress was the biggest gainer. It contested on 17 seats and won on 13. NCP Pawar contested on 9 and won on 7.
This is where the problem started. After winning more seats, Congress wants to be seen as the big brother. Two-three rounds of meetings have been held regarding seat sharing. Congress itself claims that it contested on 155 seats in 2019, so this time too it would like to contest on a maximum of 125 to 130 seats. In this way, the remaining seats out of 288 will be divided between Pawar and Thackeray’s party. In a way, the calculation is being made for 85 and 70. Thackeray is not ready for this at all. Thackeray’s party decided that it wanted the same number of seats as it contested on 124 seats in the 2019 assembly elections. This means that Congress will have to come second. It does not seem that Congress will agree to this easily. If sources are to be believed, a formula has also emerged that all three parties will contest on equal number of seats. In a way, every party will contest on 90 to 92 seats.
The fight is not only about seats but also about who will be the face. Sharad Pawar has said twice that he also wants to become CM once again. Thackeray’s party is worried that what will happen if after the elections NCP and Congress come together and make Sharad Pawar the CM. Pawar has met twice with his nephew Ajit Pawar who has joined NDA. If experts are to be believed, Pawar can bring him back with him. If Ajit Pawar comes back, NCP will become stronger. Thackeray is doing politics of pressure so that he can be projected as the Chief Minister before the elections. Congress and Pawar’s NCP do not seem to be in this mood right now. The Lok Sabha election results have boosted the morale of all three parties, it remains to be seen who will bow down. In such a situation, the politics of Maharashtra is going to be interesting in the coming days.