Nominations over, but 15 seats still undecided

Mumbai: The deadline filing of nominations is over but there is no clarity on around 15 seats in Maharashtra. The ruling alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party of Ajit Pawar is yet to announce the names of candidates for four seats. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi - Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP and the Congress - have not officially declared candidates for 11 seats.

An MLA from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has gone missing after the ticket for his seat, Palghar, was allotted to another. Before going missing, Shriniwas Vanga, had said he was sorry that he ever joined Shinde. His wife said that he wanted to meet Uddhav Thackeray and apologise to him in person. The MLA had packed a bag and left home at 7 pm on Monday, and has been unreachable since. His family said he had been distraught since the seat announcement.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has spoken to Mr Vanga’s wife over telephone.

As of now, BJP has fielded 152 candidates, Ajit Pawar’s faction of NCP 52, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena 80. This includes the seats they have given to smaller allies -- four in case of the BJP and two for Shiv Sena. In the MVA, the Congress has fielded 103 candidates, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar are at 87.

In the afternoon, Sharad Pawar had announced that 87 was the final number as far his party -- the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) was concerned. But it still left the mystery over 11 seats intact.

While some of these seats are expected to go to the smaller allies and the Samajwadi Party, there is no clarity on who gets what, or even how many.

The biggest case in point was Nawab Malik of Ajit Pawar’s NCP, who had filed two nominations from the Mankhud seat --- one as an Independent and the other as an NCP member, till the party moved to back him just minutes before the deadline.