Shiv Sena calls for same seat-sharing formula in Pune civic body election as in Lok Sabha and assembly polls

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], January 2 (ANI): As the dust settles after the Assembly polls and the formation of the government in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance has turned its focus to the upcoming local body elections.
Shiv Sena, a key alliance partner, has said that the seat-sharing formula for the local body elections should mirror that of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. They emphasized that the seat allocation should be based on the merits of the candidates, with sitting seats remaining with the respective party.
Shiv Sena has already begun preparations for the elections and is reviewing several seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, which they believe they can win. Ground-level party workers have been instructed to go door-to-door, engaging with people and informing them about various state and central government schemes. Reviews are also being conducted for potential candidates.
Shiv Sena aims to secure at least 35-40 seats out of the total 162 seats in the PMC General Body. In the 2017 election, the United Shiv Sena won 10 seats in the PMC.
Shiv Sena Pune city Chief Nana Bhangire said, "The seats-sharing among Mahayuti for civic body elections should be the same as it was for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. While sharing a seat, the elective merits of the particular candidate should be considered, and sitting seats should be given to the respective party. We have already started the preparation for the election and are taking reviews of several seats in the Pune Municipal Corporation election which we believe we can win."
"We have asked our ground-level party workers to go door to door and speak with the people and inform them about the various schemes of the state and central government. We have also started taking reviews for the interested candidate. We expect to get at least 35-40 seats out of a total of 162 seats in the PMC general body," he added.
Nana Bhangire also mentioned that some leaders from opposition parties are keen to join Shiv Sena ahead of the elections. He added that whether "Mahayuti will contest the elections together or separately will be decided by the top leadership."
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, has indicated that their party workers prefer to contest the elections solo. Deepak Mankar, the Pune city President, stated that while the PMC elections are still some time away, the party is always ready to contest.
Ajit Pawar has hinted that the NCP might go solo in the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections, but the final decision will be made by the top leadership. The NCP aims to contest every seat in the PMC. (ANI)