The much-anticipated seat-sharing arrangement between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections could be officially unveiled on Friday, according to a key negotiator from the Shinde-led faction. The announcement is expected to be made jointly by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.
Final Round of Negotiations Concludes
Rahul Shewale, a member of the Shiv Sena's negotiating team, stated on Thursday that the formula is finalized. This follows multiple rounds of high-stakes talks between the ruling alliance partners. The first discussion, held late on Monday, involved CM Fadnavis and Deputy CM Shinde directly.
A second round took place on Tuesday between BJP leaders Ashish Shelar, Ameet Satam, Praveen Darekar, and Atul Bhatkhalkar, and Shiv Sena's Uday Samant and Rahul Shewale. Another round of negotiations was conducted on Wednesday to iron out the final details.
Winnability Takes Center Stage in Ticket Distribution
The core principle agreed upon for distributing tickets is 'winnability'. Shewale emphasized that the alliance, contesting as 'Mahayuti', will field candidates on all seats based on their potential to secure a victory. This marks a significant shift from the 2017 polls, where the undivided Shiv Sena contested 227 seats independently.
"In a high-stakes battle like BMC, the party winning should be the priority," Shewale added. He also mentioned that Shinde has assured that aspirants who are not given tickets will be accommodated with posts after the elections.
Seat Numbers Remain a Point of Discussion
While the formula is set, the exact number of seats each party will contest has been a major point of discussion. Reports indicate that the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, had initially pushed for a share of 105 to 113 seats in the 227-member civic body.
On the other hand, the BJP, which began with an offer of 60-70 seats, has stated that while they have conceded more from their initial position, agreeing to a figure above 100 seats may not be feasible. The final numbers under the agreed formula are awaited with the official announcement.
Shewale also noted that the seat-sharing formula for other municipal corporations in Maharashtra is in its final stages. However, BJP functionaries have maintained caution, not explicitly confirming that the BMC announcement will indeed happen on Friday.
