Maharashtra assembly elections: Will scramble for Assembly seats fracture alliances?

Sunil Raut, Vikhroli MLA (right) Parag Shah, Ghatkopar East legislator

The Shiv Sena split may create challenges for the Mahayuti as well as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) when it comes to sharing Assembly seats. The Byculla, Ghatkopar East and Andheri West Assembly constituencies can potentially create hurdles during seat-sharing talks between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) while the seats that could prove contentious for the BJP and Shiv Sena are Andheri East, Jogeshwari and Vikhroli.

According to sources, the Mumbai Congress has decided to demand 16 out of the city's 36 Assembly constituencies while Shiv Sena (UBT) will stake claim on 25. Congress has decided to demand Byculla, Ghatkopar East and Andheri West constituencies. Yamini Jadhav, the Byculla MLA, is with the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A Congress source said, "We have strong roots in Byculla. The Shiv Sena candidate won the 2019 election due to vote sharing, but the MLA is not with our alliance partner now so we can demand this constituency."

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Rutuja Latke, Andheri East MLA. File pic (right) Yamini Jadhav, Byculla MLA

The Ghatkopar East Assembly seat came into existence in 2009, after the splitting of the Ghatkopar constituency. The incumbent MLA is Parag Shah. "In the past three elections, BJP candidates won from the constituency so we can also demand it. And we can claim the Andheri West seat because our candidate won it in 2009," the leader said. A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader sought to make it clear that the Byculla constituency "belonged to his party". "For other constituencies, party leaders will take decisions based on the current political situation," he said.

Mahayuti situation

Sources claim the BJP will stake a claim on Jogeshwari, Andheri East and Vikhroli. In Jogeshwari, which comes under the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat, Ravindra Waikar is the member of Parliament. BJP sources claim the party has few good candidates for the Assembly constituency. "In the Andheri East constituency, MLA Rutuja Latke belongs to the Shiv Sena (UBT) so we can demand this constituency," said a BJP source.

"The Vikhroli MLA Sunil Raut also belongs to the UBT and we have a good candidate for the seat. The party has decided to contest here," the source added. "We have five former corporators in Andheri East. Also, our candidate filed nomination for the recent Andheri East bypoll," said Pawan Tripathi, Mumbai BJP leader. "The final decision about seat sharing will be taken by our leaders," Tripathi added. Shinde Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre said, "Seat sharing is yet to start and both parties will decide matters mutually."