Mumbai: The NDA allies are locked in a tangle over finalising seats in Maharashtra, a state which produces the second-highest number of MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The fact that all three key allies, the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP, want a bigger pie in the bargain resulted in a stalemate. The BJP fears that the tug-of-war can put paid to the saffron party's poll prospects before the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
As usual, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is camping in Mumbai to troubleshoot, held a late-night meeting on Tuesday with leaders of the other parties though the consensus appears not so close right now.
Shah held a meeting with key leaders of allies that started around 10.15 pm. He tried to persuade Deputy Chief Minister Pawar in the presence of BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for half an hour.
Then a nearly one-hour meeting was held between Shah and Chief Minister Shinde. Out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the BJP wants to field candidates in 30 seats. The party believes these seats are crucial to its winning 370 seats nationally and taking the NDA to the 400 mark.
According to sources, the BJP is ready to leave 12 seats for the Shiv Sena Sinde faction and six for the NCP. The allies are, however, not happy with the offer.
Shinde, according to insiders, has been pressing for 23 seats. The BJP in 2019 won 23 out of 25 seats it contested while Shiv Sena contested 23 and won 18. The BJP banks on PM Narendra Modi's popularity and maintains that it is the single-largest party in the Maharashtra Assembly. Ajit Pawar's NCP which joined the government last year complicated the matter for the BJP and is bargaining for 10 Lok Sabha seats.
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