The seat-sharing talks between Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming BMC polls in Maharashtra have hit a major roadblock. According to sources, during a meeting held between the leaders of two parties, the Shinde Sena cited the results of the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and demanded all 84 seats that were won by the undivided Shiv Sena at that time.
The BJP, however, outright rejected this demand.
The BJP argued that there is a significant difference between the political circumstances in 2017 and the present situation. The saffron party stated that a direct contest between the Shinde Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena could harm the Mahayuti alliance.
‘Winnability’ to be seat-sharing factor
In such a scenario, the BJP maintained that the Shinde Sena would be allotted only those seats where it has the strongest presence and the seat-sharing will be decided based on the “winnability” formula.
Out of the total 227 seats in the BMC, there is a dispute between the two parties over 77 seats. Senior leaders from both sides are expected to make efforts over the next two days to resolve the deadlock.
State EC announces polling schedule
The Maharashtra State Election Commission on December 15 announced the schedule of the elections for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The poll body said the election will take place in a single phase on January 15, 2026, and the results will be declared on January 16.
Mumbai BJP chief forms committee
Mumbai BJP President Amit Satam has formed a 20-member committee for the selection of candidates for the BMC elections. Apart from the committee chairman Amit Satam, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, National General Secretary Vinod Tawde, State Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, along with several state cabinet ministers and MLAs, have been appointed as members of the committee.
