Election Tension Rises As Mahayuti Alliance Faces Seat-Sharing Disputes Ahead Of Polls In Maharashtra's Hingoli

Hingoli: With local body elections drawing near, the political atmosphere in Hingoli has turned tense as differences within the ruling Mahayuti alliance have begun to surface. The prabhag draft, zilla parishad chairperson and members’ reservation draws, and municipal council president and members’ lists have already been declared. The model code of conduct is expected to be announced within the next few days.

The Mahayuti coalition, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar group), and the opposition Mahavikas Aghadi, which includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar group), have both begun preparations for the elections.

Amid these developments, cracks within the Mahayuti have started to show. Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Santosh Bangar indicated that if the party is dissatisfied with the BJP over seat-sharing arrangements, it may contest the elections in Hingoli district independently. “We have informed the chief minister and both deputy chief ministers about our stand. We are considering contesting alone so that local candidates get a fair chance,” Bangar said.

Responding to this, BJP district president Gajananrao Ghuge stated that if discussions among senior Mahayuti leaders fail to yield a consensus on seat distribution, the BJP will be prepared to field its own candidates independently, as per directions from the party’s top leadership. The NCP (Ajit Pawar group) has so far refrained from commenting on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Mahavikas Aghadi parties have indicated that they intend to contest the elections jointly. District presidents of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar group) have confirmed that their campaign strategies will align with the Aghadi’s unified plan. With election preparations underway, the political temperature, particularly in the rural belt, has begun to rise sharply.

news