Mahayuti, MVA plan contingency ahead of results day, book hotels, helicopters | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: As time approaches for the Maharashtra assembly election results, both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are making bold moves as they prepare to form the government in the event of a tight race.

The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, is supported by exit polls that suggest the coalition has a majority. But they don’t take risks. Rumor has it that they have booked helicopters and hotels to isolate the MLAs at the earliest so that they are not lured by political rivals.

These elections have seen a sharp increase in the number of independent and rebel candidates, who are always ready to be eliminated by major parties seeking to increase their numbers. All three parties in the Mahayuti coalition have turned to independents and rebels to bolster their numbers if they fail to secure the 145 seats needed for a simple majority.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “I think we will cross the majority mark. We currently have 105 MLAs and we will win more seats this time. Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will also perform well. Together the three of us will get more than most.” He added: “Even if independents are not needed, we will still take them with us. Independents are always happy to support the government in developing their constituencies.”

On the other hand, the MVA, which includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), faces a double challenge. They will have to secure enough seats to stake their claim and also counter the BJP’s potential ‘Operation Lotus’ strategy if they fail to secure a majority. To prepare for these contingencies, senior MVA leaders met in Mumbai and discussed various scenarios, including a suspended meeting and intense competition.

On Thursday evening, three MVA leaders, Balasaheb Thorat of the Congress, Jayant Patil of the NCP (SP) and Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT), met for over two hours at a hotel in Mumbai to discuss their strategy. Later, they met separately with Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar.

Thorat said the MVA is confident in the formation of the next government. “We have audited all 288 districts and are confident that we will get the required numbers,” he told the media. “I don’t think we will need outside support,” he said, and asked whether the MVA had reached out to independents and smaller parties.

Concerned about possible manipulation in the counting process, Thorat added, “We have decided that all counting agents should not leave their positions until the last vote is counted and the results are officially declared by the concerned authorities at the counting booths. We are issuing directives in this regard,” he said after the meeting.

MVA insiders said they were concerned about a possible lack of fair play. “We are concerned that the governor may invite the BJP to form the government if it emerges as the single largest party even if Mahayuti does not win a majority of the seats,” the MVA leader said.

Another leader said that based on past experience, they fear that the BJP will try to impose President’s Rule if they do not get close to the 145-seat mark and the MVA also does not cross the majority mark. “They took advantage of a similar situation in 2019 when Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray met then Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi seeking a letter of support and secured the imposition of President’s Rule. This time we want to avoid such a situation.”

“Our strategy includes keeping together the winning candidates from each of the three parties and taking advantage of the opportunity to bring in independents as well as rebels if required,” the leader said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut expressed confidence that the MVA will cross the majority mark. “The MBA will get 160 to 165 seats and we will be able to stake our claim in the evening of the same day,” Raut said. His statement suggests that the MVA does not want to give the ruling Mahayuti alliance any chance to play a power game.

With inputs from Saurabha Kulshreshtha