BJP chief: Mahayuti will finalise seats in 10 days

Mumbai: The governing Mahayuti will complete its seat sharing talks for the assembly elections in the next 10 days, said BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. On Saturday, the party held its state core committee meeting to discuss the elections.The EC is yet to declare the election dates for Maharashtra, citing the monsoon and the festival season as reasons for the delay. In political circles, it is expected that the polls will be held after Diwali. The tenure of the current govt ends on Nov 26.Bawankule told reporters in Nagpur on Sunday, "Winnability will be the criteria for seat sharing. Our smaller allies will also be accommodated," he said, adding that Mahayuti partners will hold a press conference to announce the seat sharing decision once it is finalised.Bawankule said BJP office bearers have been warned not to make any comment that could cause discord in the alliance. Party functionaries have been warned of strict action for speaking out of turn.Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has been demanding 100 seats for the elections, while there is unease within both BJP and Sena on contesting elections in alliance with Ajit Pawar's NCP.Recently, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had said BJP would contest around the same seats it had fought in 2019—the party had contested around 160 seats and won 105 that year. The alliance is on the backfoot following its dismal performance in the LS elections. BJP could manage to win only nine of the 23 seats it contested, Sena won seven of 15, and NCP one of four seats.