Union Minister Ramdas Athawale demands two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra from BJP

Ramdas Athawale. File Pic

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale have demanded two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reported the ANI.

According to the news agency, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment and President of the Republican Party of India (A) Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday demanded two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra from the BJP. Athawale will soon meet BJP President J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah with this request.

Speaking to ANI Ramdas Athawale said, "I requested the BJP that our party RPI wants to contest elections on two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and regarding this, I am going to meet Amit Shah ji and JP Nadda ji and when the time comes, I will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji," according to the ANI.

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"My party Republican Party of India (A) works across the country and is with 'Mahayuti' in Maharashtra and should get two Lok Sabha seats in the state I am going to write such a letter to BJP President JP Nadda ji and will discuss with him," Ramdas Athawale told ANI.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale further told ANI "I wanted to come to the Lok Sabha and I myself want to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the 'Shirdi' seat, if the party also get the Solapur Lok Sabha seat then the Republican Party gets two seats. In such a situation, the transfer of Dalit votes Will be comfortable. If my party wins two Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra then the Republican Party will achieve the status of a regional party in the state."

"Our demand for two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra because the support base of the Republican Party is in every village, the society that believes in Baba Saheb Ambedkar is with me in large numbers...However my term as Rajya Sabha MP till 2026 but I want to Contest Lok Sabha Poll 2024 from Shirdi seat," he added

Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the seat-sharing formula for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections among the Mahayuti constituents BJP, Shiv Sena and the (Ajit Pawar-led) NCP has almost been finalised for Maharashtra, and it is proposed that while BJP will contest 26 seats, Sena and NCP together will contest 22.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats in total. The BJP had earlier fought on 25 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and the then-undivided Shiv Sena 23, with the BJP winning 23 and Shiv Sena 18.

(with ANI inputs)