The seat-sharing negotiations within the ruling Mahayuti alliance for the upcoming Thane city elections have hit a significant roadblock, with talks remaining inconclusive until late Sunday evening. The deadlock reportedly centers on the allocation of nearly ten crucial seats in the city.
Discontent Over Proposed Seat Allocation
According to party insiders, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was offered a total of 40 seats in the initial proposal. This number, however, has triggered visible discontent among the party's local workers. The BJP cadre is now demanding an additional 10 seats from various pockets across Thane city, arguing for a share that better reflects the party's electoral strength and ground presence.
The proposal has been forwarded to senior Mahayuti leaders for a final review. A conclusive decision is anticipated late on Sunday, with a formal announcement expected on Monday, provided the impasse is resolved. Confirming the ongoing discussions, BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar stated that the party was contesting as part of the alliance and remained hopeful of securing more seats. "Talks are scheduled late Sunday and we expect to finalise the seat-sharing by Monday," Kelkar said.
Ground-Level Unease and Mobilisation
The uncertainty at the top has quickly spilled over to the ground level, creating palpable tension among workers of both the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Leaders from both sides are reportedly wary of possible rebellion by disappointed party workers.
In a sign of this brewing discontent, a section of BJP workers is allegedly considering supporting independent candidates to contest from an erstwhile Shiv Sena stronghold located within the Majiwada–Manpada electoral wards. Further escalating the tension, a large banner proclaiming Thane as a BJP bastion was put up on Saturday in the assembly constituency of Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.
On the other side, Shiv Sena workers have begun mobilising support in areas traditionally seen as BJP-dominated, such as the Naupada and Vartak Nagar electoral wards. Party functionaries argue that the welfare initiatives launched during Shinde's tenure have significantly boosted the Sena's popularity in Thane, which could easily translate into electoral victory.
Leaders from both parties acknowledged the risk of disappointed aspirants choosing to contest as independents, which could lead to a division of votes and harm the alliance's prospects.
Parallel Political Developments
Amid the uncertainty within the Sena-BJP alliance, former NCP corporators Najeeb Mulla and Suhas Desai filed their nomination papers on Saturday. Clarifying the NCP's position, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske stated that the NCP had earlier decided to contest the polls independently and was not part of the current Mahayuti alliance negotiations.
Separately, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is also working on finalising its own seat-sharing formula for the Thane polls and is likely to announce its arrangement by Monday as well.
