Maharashtra Leaders Meet Amidst Upcoming Assembly Elections

Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Mumbai’s airport in preparation for the state’s upcoming assembly elections likely to be held in November. Shah assured a 'respectful' seat distribution among the ruling coalition partners.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah convened a crucial meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Mumbai's airport on Monday, as the state braces for assembly elections expected this November.

Although specific details of the meeting remained undisclosed, sources revealed that Shah, a senior BJP leader, guaranteed a 'respectful' distribution of assembly seats among the coalition partners of the ruling alliance Mahayuti.

Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena, and Pawar, president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), are pivotal allies of the BJP in Maharashtra's governance.

The 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly's term concludes on November 26.

Shah, an influential poll strategist and former BJP president, was in Mumbai on a two-day visit, during which he also attended the release of the documentary 'Mumbai Samachar-200 Not Out,' commemorating Asia's oldest newspaper's bicentennial journey.

On Monday, before leaving the city, Shah met with Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, as well as other key NCP leaders.

Earlier, Shah visited the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal, accompanied by Shinde, Fadnavis, and BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, describing the occasion as a 'darshan' of an idol that has drawn devotees for many decades.

The Lalbaugcha Raja, established in 1934, fulfills the wishes of its devotees and attracts thousands daily during the ten-day Ganesh festival that began on September 7.

Shah also performed religious rituals at Fadnavis and Shinde's residences and visited another significant Ganesh pandal in Bandra West connected to Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar.

Separately, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar visited the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal, seeking strength to advocate for farmers and common citizens, while BJP MLC Pravin Darekar criticized Pawar's visit, labeling it as politically motivated.

(With inputs from agencies.)