Maharashtra assembly polls: Chorus to go it alone gets louder within major parties

Ruling Congress-NCP combine and opposition Shiv Sena-BJP camp yet to arrive at acceptable seat sharing formula

The chorus within the four major political parties to independently fight the elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly is getting louder. Even as the Election Commission is expected to announce the poll schedule early next week, ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena (SS) combines are yet to sort out their differences over seat sharing.

A section in the Congress, which fears that NCP might mar its poll prospects, is demanding that the party should go solo. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan candidly said party workers feel NCP’s “body language is anti-Congress”. Chavan clarified he is against breaking the 15-year-old alliance, but Congress' grassroots cadre is not happy with NCP's role in the government and during elections.

State Congress unit President Manikrao Thakre has taken an aggressive stand saying the party was totally opposed to the 50:50 seat sharing formula with NCP. He, however, indicated Congress may leave a few seats more for NCP, which contested in 114 seats in the 2009 Assembly polls in an alliance with the Congress.

NCP, which had already conducted interviews of party aspirants in all the 288 Assembly constituencies, has reiterated it was in favour of a poll alliance with Congress. State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar have been insisting that the party should not remain content with 114 seats but be prepared to go it alone.

BJP is demanding an equal share of seats with the Shiv Sena, especially after winning 23 Lok Sabha seats. BJP President Amit Shah, who will address the party meeting during visit  to Mumbai on September 4, has asked party members to make wholehearted efforts to improve the party's tally in the Assembly polls. Some party leaders, however, are insisting that BJP should not be dwarfed while arriving at a seat sharing arrangement with the Shiv Sena. These leaders are citing recent internal survey which shows BJP will independently win more seats that the Shiv Sena, and, therefore, there is no need to bow before the Sena. The Shiv Sena, which benefited a lot after riding the Modi wave in the general election, is unwilling to give 144 seats to BJP.

Though Shiv Sena reiterated that its 28-year-old alliance with BJP is on a strong platform, based on Hindutva plank, the party wants BJP to give seats from its quota to other Maha Yuti partners, including Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), Republican Party of India (RPI), Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) and Shiv Sangram. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting of party's regional heads on September 5 to decide the future course of action if the seat sharing talks fail.