Mahayuti allies still in talks over 8 seats: BJP

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday said talks are still on among the three Mahayuti constituents over seven to eight seats for the next month's state assembly polls.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, the former state minister said the BJP would release the second list of candidates on Sunday.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20 and the counting of votes will take place three days later. 

Two of the three Mahayuti allies -- BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena -- have separately released their first list of candidates, while the third partner, Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, has come out with two lists of nominees so far. 

"Discussions are still on over seven to eight seats. We are fighting like a family - taking everyone, including the elder brother and younger brother, along. The BJP's second list will be released tomorrow and we will also come out with a joint manifesto," he said.

Bawankule mocked the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi's reported formula of all three allies contesting 90 seats each. 

"We heard that Rahul Gandhi fired the state leaders for mishandling the seat-sharing talks," he claimed.

He said the MVA has no development agenda unlike the Mahayuti alliance.

"Instead of a development vision, the opposition alliance discusses who will be the chief minister and who will get the minister's post. MVA's fake narrative, which worked during this year's Lok Sabha elections, will not work now," he said.

Bawankule said Uddhav Thackeray's dream of becoming the chief minister again will not be fulfilled as his allies don't support his wish.   -- PTI