Decision of seat sharing will depend on electoral merit of candidate: Ajit Pawar

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], November 25 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that there has not been any discussion on seat sharing in the state with Union Home Minister Amit Shah but they have decided that the decision will be taken on the basis of the "electoral merit" of the candidate.
"There was no discussion yet on seat sharing but yes, we had discussed that the decision on seat sharing will be taken on the basis of the elective merit (winning capacity) of the candidate at a particular seat," Ajit Pawar said when asked by reporters about his recent meeting with Amit Shah.
"Currently, five state elections are underway. After the elections, there will be discussion on seat sharing," the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader added.
Ajit Pawar took review of the under-construction Education Commissionerate Head Office in Pune on Saturday.
Maharashtra is set to undergo polls next year. The state had undergone several political disturbances in its last legislative term.
The Mahavikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress, which came to power in the state, collapsed after Eknath Shinde revolted and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with a bunch of MLAs. This led to the formation of the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction)-BJP government in the state.
A year later, Ajit Pawar, from the NCP, revolted against his party chief and joined hands with the BJP along with some of his party colleagues.
The state is now run by the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP.