News Maharashtra 'Ball is in their court now': Owaisi on alliance with I.N.D.I.A. bloc for Maharashtra elections

'Ball is in their court now': Owaisi on alliance with I.N.D.I.A. bloc for Maharashtra elections

Maharashtra Assembly elections: In Maharashtra, the ruling coalition Mahayuti — the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party — will be up against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the alliance of the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (NCP-SP) and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

Maharashtra elections, Maharashtra polls, Asaduddin Owaisi Image Source : PTI (FILE)AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: On potential allaince with the I.N.D.I.A. bloc for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said that his party has written to state Congress chief Nana Patole and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to fight poll together against the NDA. Owaisi added that the decision now lies with them.

"In Maharashtra, our ex-MP Imtiaz Jaleel wrote to Nana Patole and Sharad Pawar that we also don't want the Shinde-Fadvanis government to form in Maharashtra. Now they have to decide. What else we can do?" the AIMIM chief told news agency ANI. 

AIMIM presence in Maharashtra 

Owaisi further said that his party already has a strong political presence there. It is pertinent to mention that in the 2019 elections, the AIMIM won two seats. 

"We already have a strong political presence there. We also spoke to Maratha reservation activist Jarange Patil. We are trying. Now they have to decide but we are going to contest the elections anyway. Congress should have won the Haryana election easily but they couldn't. They have to introspect. Even then, we tried in Maharashtra but the ball is in their court now," he added. 

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

Maharashtra will go to polls in a single phase on November 20 and the EC said the counting of votes will take place on November 23.

This time, the Maharashtra Assembly election is expected to witness a two-way fight between the ruling Mahayuti Alliance of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP,) Shiv Sena-Eknath Shinde and NCP-Ajit Pawar and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP - Sharad Pawar and the Congress. In 2019 the BJP, and undivided Sena, coalition came to power in the state.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019 results

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, of a total of 288 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party, winning 105 seats. The Shiv Sena secured 56 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress won 54 and 44 seats respectively. Other parties that made their mark include the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) with 3 seats, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Samajwadi Party (SP) with 2 seats each, and smaller parties like PHJSP, RSPS, CPM, MNS, JSS, KTSTP, SWP, and PWPI, each securing 1 seat. Additionally, 13 seats were won by independent candidates.

Also Read: Maharashtra govt allocates Rs 200 crore for 'Ladli Behna' scheme promotion ahead of elections: RTI reveals

Also Read: Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Congress in a fix after Uddhav Thackeray announces candidate from Bandra East