Maharashtra polls: Uncertainty looms over 15 seats as nominations end
The nomination process for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections ended on Tuesday with 7,995 candidates filing 10,905 nominations for the 288 assembly seats. However, uncertainty still looms over around 15 seats as both the ruling alliance and opposition are yet to announce their full candidate lists. The ruling coalition—Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—has kept four seats unannounced.
BJP fields most candidates, MVA yet to declare 11
On the other hand, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—comprising Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction, Sharad Pawar's NCP faction and the Congress—has not officially declared candidates for 11 seats. The BJP has fielded the most candidates in its alliance at 152. Ajit's NCP and Shinde's Shiv Sena have declared 53 and 80 candidates, respectively.
Internal disputes shadow Maharashtra assembly elections
The Congress has fielded 103 candidates in the MVA alliance, while Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction and Pawar's NCP have announced 87 each. This indecision over seat-sharing comes after weeks of infighting in both alliances. Notably, Nawab Malik of Ajit's NCP had filed two nominations from Mankhurd—one as an independent and another as an NCP member—before his party decided to back him just before the deadline.
Election schedule and political significance
The nomination papers will be verified and scrutinized on Thursday, with November 4 being the last date for withdrawal of candidatures. Polling will be held on November 20, and the votes will be counted three days later. The upcoming election is viewed as a crucial referendum on the recent political turmoil in Maharashtra.
