The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) core committee, chaired by party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, on Friday, 29 May staked a formal claim over the Raigad, Pune, and Parbhani local body constituency seats for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections scheduled for 18 June. The deadline for filing nominations is 1 June, lending urgency to the seat-sharing talks within the Maha Yuti alliance.

NCP's Position on Seat Sharing

Sunil Tatkare, accompanied by senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal, told reporters that all three Maha Yuti partners — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and NCP — had reached a consensus to collectively contest all 17 seats. Tatkare expressed confidence that the deadlock would be resolved by Saturday afternoon. 'The final decision on how many seats the BJP will contest, which seats Shiv Sena will field candidates for, and which seats will come to the NCP's share will be made by Saturday afternoon. We have presented our stance on how many seats the NCP wants before the Chief Minister,' he said.

Tatkare noted that since 1 June is the last day for nominations and Sunday is a holiday, the alliance is moving rapidly to conclude discussions. Candidate names for NCP-allocated seats are expected to be announced once the seat-sharing arrangement is finalised.

Seat Distribution Under Discussion

Of the 17 seats at stake, the BJP is reportedly eyeing 11 — comprising 10 local body constituency seats and the Nagpur by-poll seat — while Shiv Sena is seeking 4 and the NCP is pushing for 2 to 3. The NCP core committee decided to finalise its candidate list only after the BJP communicates the confirmed seat-sharing arrangement.

On the Raigad seat, both Shiv Sena and NCP are reportedly staking strong claims. 'It is natural for every party to want a seat for themselves. However, the final decision will be taken by the three top leaders of the Maha Yuti, and a respectful seat-sharing arrangement will be made,' Tatkare said. He explicitly denied any proposal to trade a Legislative Council seat in exchange for a Guardian Minister post.

Chief Minister Fadnavis Weighs In

Sunetra Pawar, national working president Praful Patel, and state unit president Sunil Thakre met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to press the party's case for Raigad, Pune, and Parbhani. Fadnavis reportedly asked them to discuss the matter later that evening to arrive at a consensus. The NCP core committee resolved to wait for the CM's communication before finalising its own candidate shortlist.

If Pune falls in the NCP's quota, the core committee suggested that Sunetra Pawar, former Assembly Speaker Dilip Walse Patil, and MP Parth Pawar should take the final call on the nominee. For the Raigad seat, former legislator Sunil Tatkare's son, Aniket Tatkare, is reportedly the sole frontrunner.

Internal Turbulence in the Background

Friday's meeting was the party's first core committee gathering after significant internal confusion over the NCP's newly released National Executive list submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The document, dated 29 April, appeared to sideline veteran heavyweights — including Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, and Dilip Walse Patil — in favour of the next generation of the Pawar family, triggering widespread speculation across Maharashtra.

The party subsequently clarified that Patel and Tatkare continue to hold the posts of national working president and state president respectively, and remain members of the newly constituted national working committee. The episode has nonetheless cast a shadow over the party's internal cohesion ahead of a high-stakes election cycle.

With the nomination deadline just days away, all eyes are on whether the Maha Yuti can present a unified front — or whether the seat-sharing friction will spill into the public domain.