Overview
- Eknath Shinde travelled to Delhi to press for a larger allocation and told central leaders he wants about seven of the 17 seats, a move reported on Tuesday that has intensified talks within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
- The BJP is pressing to contest a majority of seats and has floated a preliminary formula of roughly 11–12 seats for itself with three for the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and two for the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP, though that breakdown remains contested.
- Nominations opened in late May and the Election Commission has fixed polling for June 18 with counting to follow in late June, creating a tight deadline for the alliance to settle allocations.
- The NCP is fighting to retain key constituencies such as Pune, Raigad‑Ratnagiri‑Sindhudurg and Parbhani‑Hingoli even after Jay Pawar publicly said he will not contest the Pune seat.
- If talks fail, the dispute could strain the Mahayuti's unity and reshape state-level positioning ahead of 2029, with parties arguing for seats based on current local‑body strength and prior incumbency.