Maharashtra polls:Mahayuti, MVA make contingency plan ahead of results day, book hotels, choppers | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: With the clock winding down towards the Maharashtra assembly election results, both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are making bold moves, preparing to form the government in the event of a tight race.

The Mahayuti alliance – comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP – are buoyed by the exit polls, which suggest a majority for the coalition. But they are taking no chances. Word is they have booked choppers and hotels to sequester MLAs at short notice, to prevent them from being lured by their political rivals.

This election has seen a surge in the number of Independent and rebel candidates, who are always fair game to be mopped by major parties looking to stack up their numbers. All three parties in the Mahayuti coalition have reached out to Independents and rebels to shore up their numbers should they fail to secure the 145 seats needed for a simple majority.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “I think we will surpass 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 secure more than a majority.” He added, “Even if there is no need for Independents, we will still take them along. Independents are always happy to support the government for the development of their constituencies.”

On the other hand, the MVA — comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) — faces a dual challenge. They will have to secure sufficient seats to stake a claim, as well as counter the BJP’s potential ‘Operation Lotus’ strategy if they fail to get a majority. To prepare for these contingencies, senior MVA leaders went into a huddle in Mumbai, and discussed various scenarios, including a hung assembly and a close contest.

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

Thorat said the MVA is confident of forming the next government. “We took a review of all 288 constituencies and are confident of getting the required numbers,” he told the media. “I don’t think we will need outside support,” he said, asked if the MVA had reached out to Independents and smaller parties.

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

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

Another leader said that, from past experience, they fear the BJP will try to get President’s rule imposed if they are not close to the 145-seat mark and the MVA too does not cross the majority mark. “They took advantage of a similar situation in 2019, when Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray met the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, seeking a support letter, and got President’s rule imposed. We want to avoid a similar situation this time.”

“Our strategy includes keeping together the winning candidates of each of the three parties, and tapping the possibility of getting Independents as well as rebels if required,” said a leader.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut expressed confidence that MVA would cross the majority mark. “MVA will get 160 to 165 seats and we may stake our claim in the evening of the same day,” said Raut. His statement suggests that the MVA doesn’t want to give the ruling Mahayuti alliance the slightest chance to play a power game.

With inputs from Saurabha Kulshreshtha