Key Seats in Mumbai Region to Be Decided Last Minute Amid Rebel Candidate Concerns

Mumbai, 25th October 2024: Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened with leaders of Maharashtra’s Mahayuti alliance, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, and NCP’s Ajit Pawar, to discuss seat allocation for the forthcoming Assembly elections. The four-hour meeting reportedly clarified most seat distributions, although around eight key seats in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be decided last minute to prevent complications with rebel candidates.

Amit Shah stressed the need to mitigate risks from rebel candidates due to the highly competitive nature of the upcoming elections, which may feature intense multi-cornered contests throughout the state. The political landscape will include multiple factions of both the Shiv Sena and NCP, along with Congress, BJP, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, leading to a crowded field that increases the potential for vote-splitting.

As reported by the Indian Express, the undecided seats in the Mumbai region include areas such as Andheri East, Lokhandwala, Bhayandar, Ghatkopar East, and Borivali.

The current representatives for these constituencies are Rutuja Latke for Andheri East, Bharati Lavekar for Lokhandwala, Geeta Jain for Bhayandar, Parag Shah for Ghatkopar East, and Sunil Rane for Borivali.

Sources familiar with the discussions indicated that these seats will remain unresolved until closer to the elections to deter rebel candidates from entering the fray.

Efforts to manage internal dissent are ongoing, exemplified by Snehalata Kolhe, who had contemplated running as a rebel candidate from Kopargaon, and former minister Raj Purohit from Colaba, both of whom have agreed to withdraw. Negotiations are expected to continue until the November 4 deadline for nomination withdrawals.

Regarding the overall seat allocation within the alliance, the BJP plans to contest approximately 150-155 seats, while the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena is expected to run in 80-90 seats, with Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction taking the remaining seats out of Maharashtra’s total of 288.

The leaders also assessed the impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent rally in Maharashtra, which has reportedly energized the Mahayuti campaign. Plans for at least 12 more rallies featuring Modi are underway, with the alliance hoping his appearances will further strengthen their voter appeal.