Shinde throws down the poll gauntlet

Even before the seat sharing formula is worked out among his two major partners in Mahayuti - BJP and NCP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has jumped the gun and announced the list of the Shiv Sena party in charges and observers for as many as 113 out of the 288 Assembly constituencies.

- Ravikiran Deshmukh

It is expected that most of these 113 persons may well ultimately turn into candidates for the assembly elections. Till then they will concentrate in tending these constituences.

The move makes it amply clear that Shinde wants a bigger share- more than what he has currently with him - 40 MLAs who joined forces with him to remove Uddhav Thackeray as the party boss. It also comes even as Prime Minister Narendra met BJP chief ministers in Delhi on Saturday (see story alongside) and a day after Modi had met with the party MPs from Maharashtra.

Besides this, the Shinde faction took a strong exception to a statement made by former union minister and MP Narayan Rane who, while addressing media in Mumbai on Friday said that the BJP should contest all the 288 seats. Soon after this Thane MP Naresh Mhaske said that any decision on seat sharing would be be taken by the senior leaders in Delhi. He said this could be (Rane's) personal opinion and not of Mahayuti.