The assembly election in Maharashtra this year has gone off script, with no clarity on which party is contesting how many seats in the ruling alliance or the opposition front. On the eve of the last day of filing of nominations, decision on nine seats in the ruling alliance is yet to be announced.

The image on the other side is even more blurred. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which made headlines for weeks over its tussle over seat sharing, is yet to provide a final frame. The alliance has already gone past the 85-85-95 seat sharing and announced disparate number of seats.

Even so, there has been no announcement on 16 seats, while its other allies, including Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, wait in the wings.

In the ruling alliance, the BJP, which initially said it would contest on 150 seats, announced that they would contest on 146, leaving four seats for smaller allies — the Yuva Swabhiman Party, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Republican Party of India (Athavale) and Jan Surajya Shakti Paksha.

But two of its members have made an appearance on the list of the Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde — party spokesperson Shaina NC from Mumbadevi and Amol Khatal, who is the candidate for Sangamner.

That leaves 138 seats to the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar faction.

The Shinde faction, which earlier announced 65 candidates, announced 15 more tonight, including Shaina NC, taking its total to 80. Like the BJP, the Sena has also given two seats out of its share to smaller parties — one each to the Jan Suraj Party and the Rajashri Shahuprakash Aghadi.

Of the 58 seats presumably left to Ajit Pawar, 49 candidates have been announced.

In the MVA, the Congress has already announced 103 candidates, the Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena 87 and the NCP of Sharad Pawar 82 seats – taking the total to 272 of the state’s 288 seats.

The delay and indecision only underscores the premium placed on Maharashtra and this election, which is expected to be a referendum on the last several years of political upheaval in the state.

Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha, is next only importance to Uttar Pradesh, which, with 80 lower house seats, is seen as the Gateway to Delhi.

Over the last two years, the state has been rocked by massive political turmoil —  the split in Shiv Sena, the collapse of the MVA government and the passing of the reins of power to the BJP and the rebel faction of the Sena. It was followed by the split in the Nationalist Congress party of Sharad Pawar and the rebel faction led by Ajit Pawar joining the ruling coalition.

Part of the repercussion has been felt by the BJP and its allies in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi had won 30 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, the ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent. The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena won nine seats, ahead of the 7 won by Mr Shinde’s faction.

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) scooped up eight seats, compared to the one won by Ajit Pawar’s party. The biggest winner was the Congress, which went up from one seat to 13, bringing the BJP down to nine seats from 23.

Shaina NC, the spokesperson of the BJP, has made an appearance on the list of Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde — one of the many surprises thrown up by the tussle over seats on either side in the assembly elections in Maharashtra. The 51-year-old has been fielded from Mumbadevi and will file her nomination at noon tomorrow, which is the last day for filing nomination. 

The Mumbadevi constituency is a part of the Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. It has been represented by the Congress since 2009.

Shaina NC was in fray for the Worli seat, which has gone to Shiv Sena’s Milind Deora. Fielding her from the Mumbadevi seat is seen as Sena’s way of making amends. 

“I am not at all upset. It is the party and the alliance’s decision to select the candidate. I congratulate my friend Milind Deora on his candidature as the Mahayuti candidate for the prestigious Worli assembly constituency,” Saina NC was quoted as saying by news agency ANI after the announcement.

“As an alliance, the decision to select a candidate is always the prerogative of the leadership. Our party believes in nation first, party next and individual last. Our agenda is development for Mumbai and Maharashtra is taken to new heights,” she had added. 

The Worli constituency will see a high-profile contest between Mr Deora and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.

Polling in Maharashtra is scheduled for November 20, with counting of of votes set for November 23.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42 seats.

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