Talking to reporters in Delhi, Shinde said the formula for seat distribution has already been indicated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The elections for 17 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, to be elected by local body members, have been scheduled on June 18. The results will be declared by June 25.
Asked whether the seat-sharing arrangement had been delayed due to disagreements, Shinde denied it. “No, nothing is stuck. Discussions are on,” he said.
The BJP, Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are constituents of the ruling Mahayuti in the state.
“There are no differences in Mahayuti. We will contest all 17 seats unitedly and win all of them,” said Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena.Meanwhile, the BJP’s local unit in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has demanded that the saffron party be given the Aurangabad-Jalna legislative council seat as part of the seat-sharing arrangement.
BJP’s city president Kishor Shitole told the media that their party has 280 local body representatives out of 600 in the district. “BJP should get this seat and younger brother Shinde Sena should listen to it and support us,” he said. In 2019, Ambadas Danve of the undivided Shiv Sena had won the seat.
On the Maratha reservation issue and demands raised by activist Manoj Jarange, Shinde said BJP member of legislative council Prasad Lad recently met him and apprised the chief minister about their discussion.
Jarange has announced an indefinite hunger strike from May 30 over the community’s “unfulfilled” demands.
“The government is positive about resolving the issue. There should be no need for a hunger strike. That is the government’s stand,” he said.
When asked if he backs a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, Shinde said Shiv Sena has always supported the idea of “one nation, one law”.
“Everyone should have equal rights and equal justice. This has been (Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray’s stand from the beginning. It is not a new stand,” he said.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also repeatedly said how there can be two different laws in one country. Our stand on this issue is positive,” he said.
The deputy CM said he would discuss the matter with Fadnavis and push forward the issue as part of the government’s agenda.
“Balasaheb Thackeray had three dreams: construction of the Ayodhya Ram temple; removal of Article 370 (from J&K) and UCC implementation. Two dreams have already been fulfilled by PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. I believe the third dream will also be fulfilled,” he said.
Rejecting apprehensions raised by critics, Shinde said the UCC would not affect reservations or tribal communities.
“Home Minister Amit Shah has clearly stated that the rights, culture, traditions and customs of tribal communities will not be affected under any circumstances. Some people say reservations will go away, but reservations and the Uniform Civil Code have no connection at all. Reservation has been guaranteed under the Constitution for SCs and STs,” he said.
On the Opposition’s claims of internal tensions within Mahayuti, Shinde said the alliance remains united and focused on Maharashtra’s development.
“Mahayuti is strong. We are working together, and Maharashtra is rapidly progressing. The Opposition has a problem with this, and therefore, they make misleading statements. We do not want to pay attention to them,” he added.
