The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) seat-sharing arrangement for the Maharashtra Assembly elections is nearly finalized. The MVA has resolved seat-sharing issues for 260 out of the 288 assembly seats. Consensus is yet to be reached on 28 seats, including three in Mumbai. MVA leaders met in Mumbai on Thursday to discuss this.
MVA consists of Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), and other parties. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, with Congress emerging as the largest party, securing 13 seats. Congress is reportedly keen to contest from the majority of seats. The first list of Congress candidates is expected by Sunday.
The High Command Will Make the Final Decision
An MVA source mentioned that the 28 seats yet to reach consensus are primarily in Mumbai and the Vidarbha region. Both Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have laid claims to most seats in Vidarbha. The three contested seats in Mumbai include Versova, Byculla, and Dharavi.
After the meeting, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole stated that the unresolved list of 25 seats in Vidarbha would be sent to the high command of respective parties in the MVA. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Uddhav Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar are expected to make decisions on these matters.
Congress to Release First List on October 20th
Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar revealed that the first list of Congress candidates will be published on October 20th after screening 84 seats. The Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on that day will coincide with the list's release.
SP Requests 12 Seats
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has also demanded 12 seats from the MVA. Maharashtra SP head Abu Asim Azmi expressed interest in contesting 12 seats, including four in Mumbai—Byculla, Mankhurd, Shivaji Nagar, and Versova. He emphasized that a united front is essential to defeat BJP, stating their collective effort in the Lok Sabha elections limited BJP to 240 seats.
Abu Azmi plans to discuss this with SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, who is visiting Malegaon and Dhule for election campaigns on Friday.
Elections in Maharashtra on November 20th
The elections for Maharashtra's 288 assembly seats will be held on November 20th, with results announced on November 23rd.
In the previous elections, BJP secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54, and Congress 44. Post-election, Shiv Sena parted ways with NDA and allied with NCP-Congress to form the government, with Uddhav Thackeray becoming the Chief Minister.
In June 2022, internal strife within Shiv Sena led Eknath Shinde to break away with 40 legislators. Eknath Shinde became Chief Minister supported by BJP. Currently, Shiv Sena is split into two factions, as is Sharad Pawar's NCP, dividing between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar.
