Amit Shah Meets Shinde, Ajit Pawar in Mumbai Amid Maharashtra Assembly Election Preparation
Maharashtra is all geared up for its upcoming Assembly elections. In this regard, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the key leaders of the ruling coalition in Mumbai on Monday.
Introduction
Shah had an important meeting at the Mumbai airport, wherein he discussed poll strategies with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. With the term of the Assembly ending in November, Mahayuti-or grand alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP-are working on seat-sharing and its political strategy ahead of the polls.
While most of the details of the meeting remain cloaked in secrecy, sources say Shah has assured both Shinde and Pawar of a “respectful” distribution of the assembly seats among the allies. This has much relevance as it is setting the stage for a politically charged election in one of the most populous and politically vibrant states of India.
Assembly Elections: Maharashtra Gears Up
Going by the due date, the election to the Maharashtra Assembly– whose term ends on November 26, 2024- is due in that month itself. Now, with no less than three power centres in the ruling alliance, if there is one matter to sort out and reconcile ahead of the election campaign really taking off, considering the nature of its politics, it would be this of seat sharing.
Amit Shah is a highly influential poll strategist and senior BJP leader, former president of the party, who has orchestrated many winning campaigns across India. His visit to Mumbai is seen as extremely important because the BJP is working hard to consolidate its position-precisely from ensuring that the Mahayuti stays united as the elections approach. The meeting by Shah with both the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and the NCP under Ajit Pawar, integral parts of this alliance, is likely to bear telling signs on the electoral battle ahead.
Discussion over Seat-Sharing and Coalition Unity
Divvying of assembly seats among the three leading coalition partners -BJP, Shiv Sena-Shinde group, and NCP-Pawar group-emerged as one of the important items on the agenda in the in-camera meeting. Though the seat-sharing formula was not announced, sources close to the developments maintained that Amit Shah has assured both Shinde and Ajit Pawar of a fair distribution of seats.
The BJP has kept its flock of allies intact, with Shiv Sena and NCP getting respectable seats in order to maintain their clout in the government. Coalition cohesion is an important ingredient whereby internal disputes may dilute the probabilities of the Alliance emerging victorious in these elections.
A political storm in 2022 ushered in a new Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, with Eknath Shinde rebelling against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar splitting off from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The BJP thus will have to henceforward bank upon the continued support of both-both now vitally important players in the state’s political landscape-to ensure a strong mandate in the Assembly elections.
Public Engagements and Visits Regarding Shah and the Ganesh Festival
During the two-day visit to Mumbai, Amit Shah was a flurry of political meetings in a strategic sense and was involved in a number of public events and religious engagements. On Sunday evening, Shah watched the screening of the documentary film ‘Mumbai Samachar- 200 Not Out’, elaborating on the 200-year journey of Asia’s oldest newspaper, Mumbai Samachar. This fell squarely as part of Shah’s larger outreach to the cultural and intellectual world in Maharashtra.
Ahead of his Mumbai visit that began off on Monday morning, Shah paid visit to the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal, one of the most known religious sites during the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival. He was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde. Shah shared on social media: “Today I took darshan of the famous ‘Raja of Lalbagh’ of Mumbai which for many decades has been a place of worship for many devotees like me.”
The Lalbaugcha Raja pandal, which was set up in 1934, has been attracting a few thousands of devotees every day during the festival. This is indeed a cultural and religious spectacle in Mumbai, and political heads make it a point to visit the venue to seek the blessings of the deity and mingle with the people.
Sharad Pawar Visits Lalbaugcha Raja
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, along with his family members, visited the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal. Ironically, Pawar’s visit has come at a time when he continues to retain a pivotal position in the power politics in Maharashtra, despite the split in his party. Taking to social media, Pawar said he would always fight for the rights of farmers and common citizens. “I visited the Lalbaughcha Raja pandal along with my family members and prayed for strength to fight for the causes of farmers and common people,” he said.
Many interpret this visit by Pawar as an attempt to try to strengthen his public image in view of the forthcoming elections. The visit was controversial. His motive is political as on many occasions when Hindu deities were insulted, he had kept quiet, BJP MLC Pravin Darekar said, criticizing the move of Pawar. “Pawar came to the temple after so many years and that too, for political reasons also. It’s hypocritical on his part to visit the pandal after he had attended functions where Hindu deities were insulted without even a word of protest,” said Darekar.
Conclusion
A visit to Mumbai by Amit Shah and a meeting with two critical coalition leaders-Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar-ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, has brought into sharp focus the need for unity among the allies and deft strategy. The seat-sharing formula and coalition dynamics would hold the key to the election outcome.
The Mahayuti coalition, led by the BJP, will see this as an important electoral test in November, and the result of these seat-sharing discussions would be one of the main factors that would determine their electoral prospects. Backed by Amit Shah and assailed by key leaders like Shinde and Pawar, the ruling alliance is trying to project unity as it gears up for a politically surcharged election season in Maharashtra.
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