Reports suggest that in the arrangement finalized among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls 2024, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is expected to contest on 13 seats, while the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will field candidates on four seats.
According to sources cited by NDTV, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will nominate candidates for 31 out of the 48 seats in Maharashtra.
Under the agreement, the party led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will contest from Baramati, Raigarh, Shirur, and Parbhani constituencies.
The Baramati seat holds significant importance as it has long been considered a stronghold of the Pawar family. This election becomes even more crucial following Ajit Pawar’s rebellion, split from the NCP, and subsequent joining of the NDA. In Baramati, Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, currently serves as the Member of Parliament (MP), and she is likely to face competition from her sister-in-law and Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls 2024. Both factions have initiated vigorous campaigning in the constituency.
With Maharashtra contributing 48 members to the Lok Sabha, it holds significant importance in national politics, second only to Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs. The state’s significance is heightened as the BJP aims to achieve a target of 370 seats and expand the NDA to the 400-mark.
In the 2019 elections, the undivided BJP and Shiv Sena contested 41 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and secured 23 and 18 seats, respectively. Currently, in power in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti Alliance of the NDA comprises the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). The Lok Sabha 2024 elections are anticipated to be held in April-May this year. The BJP government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been in power at the Centre for the past decade, and the party aims to secure a record third successive term in office.
