Overview
- The Election Commission will notify the seven-seat contest on February 26, with voting on March 16 and roughly 36–37 votes required per seat.
- With the BJP–Shinde Sena–NCP bloc at about 232–235 MLAs against the MVA’s 46, reports indicate Mahayuti is positioned to win six seats, leaving one for the Opposition.
- Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut asserted their party’s first claim to the Opposition berth, as Raut clarified Sharad Pawar only expressed a wish to return and that a collective decision is pending.
- Opposition parties boycotted the government’s pre-session high tea to protest alleged arrogance and policy failures, citing concerns over the Indo–US trade deal, ambiguity around Ajit Pawar’s reported death, an ACB raid tied to Minister Narhari Zirwal, and questions over Davos MoUs.
- NCP-SP leaders were absent from an MVA press conference, which reporting linked to unconfirmed merger speculation with the ruling NCP, while MNS chief Raj Thackeray met Eknath Shinde and said he would meet Devendra Fadnavis.