Seat sharing will be done without compromising dignity, says Ajit Pawar
With no resolution yet on the Lok Sabha seatsharing arrangements within the ruling Mahayuti parties, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Tuesday assured that seats would be allotted without compromising the dignity of the three allies.
‘In two days’
Speaking in Satara on the occasion of the 111th birth anniversary of former CM Y.B. Chavan, Mr. Pawar said all seatsharing problems would be resolved between the Eknath ShindeShiv Sena, the Bha
ratiya Janata Party (BJP), and his NCP faction.
“All seats would be allotted by respecting the three alliance partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition,” Mr. Pawar said. He added that the seat allocation would be ironed out over the next two days.
Mr. Pawar further informed that as per preliminary discussions, the seat that was held by the sitting MP of a particular party would be given to that party.
Urges restraint
Responding to Shinde Sena leader and former Maharashtra Minister Vijay Shivtare’s verbal onslaught on him, Mr. Pawar urged restraint on the leaders of all the three ruling parties.
A former twoterm MLA from Purandar (one of the six Assembly segments in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat), Mr. Shivtare had announced on Monday that he would contest the Baramati seat while calling for the overthrow of the Pawar clan from the constituency.
There is a tussle on between the Shindeled Sena and the BJP over a number of seats, particularly in the Konkan and Marathwada regions, with both parties staking claim to those seats.
Last week, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that 80% of the seatsharing process had been completed.
As per sources, the BJP is likely to contest on at least 3132 Lok Sabha seats, leaving 13 for the Eknath Shindeled Sena, while the Ajit Pawarled NCP faction will have to be content with threefour seats.