Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday held a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, amid reports that a seat-sharing formula for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state was the main agenda of the talks.
Shah’s visit to the state, days before announcement of the schedule for Lok Sabha polls, comes at a time when the BJP-led ruling alliance partners Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) have been vocal about allocation of more seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly declared in the last few days that the BJP will cross 370-plus seats and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will get 400-plus seats in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
Maharashtra is crucial for the BJP, which has set an ambitious target of winning 45-plus of the 48 seats in the state.
Though there is no clarity yet on the quantum of seats each party in the Mahayuti (grand alliance) will contest, sources said the BJP is asserting its right over 30 seats, adding the Shinde faction would contest more seats than the Ajit Pawar-led party.
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