Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: CM Eknath Shinde Urges HM Amit Shah To Declare Poll Candidates

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held separate meetings with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar during his trip to Mumbai.

At their late-Tuesday meeting, Shinde urged the BJP leader to declare candidates for the assembly election.

The process should not be delayed, like it happened in the general election, he said.

During the Lok Sabha election, discussions on seat-sharing by Mahayuti allies went on for several days. Many candidates were announced only on the last day of filing nominations, leaving them with insufficient time for campaigning.

For example the candidature of Hemant Godse from Nashik, Yamini Jadhav from South Mumbai and Ujwal Nikam from Mumbai North Central were all announced just a few days before the last day to file nominations. All three were defeated. The delay in nomination created confusion among ground-level cadres and voters, Shinde said.

At the meeting, detailed information was also shared regarding how many and which assembly seats should be given to the Shiv Sena. Shah advised that focus should be on effectively delivering government schemes to the people. Additionally, he emphasised that there should be no discord within the Mahayuti alliance.

The home minister also met Pawar on Wednesday. Details of their discussion remained undisclosed.

This meeting came amid tensions within the Mahayuti, particularly concerning the presence of Pawar’s NCP and its criticism of certain anti-Muslim remarks made by BJP leaders. Additionally, leaders from the Shiv Sena, under Shinde, have expressed concerns about the NCP’s role in the coalition.