Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has finally reached a consensus on seat-sharing for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. After weeks of intense discussions, it was decided that the Congress will contest 105 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Sharad Pawar will get 84 seats. The remaining four seats will be allocated to smaller allies to ensure their continued participation in the coalition, according to insider reports.
This seat-sharing arrangement differs from the formula used in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, where the Shiv Sena (UBT) had the maximum seats. In those elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 21 out of 48 seats, Congress fought for 17, and the NCP (SP) contested 10. However, the Congress emerged as the dominant party in the Lok Sabha polls, securing 13 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (UBT) with nine and NCP (SP) with eight.
The seat-sharing talks were prolonged and resumed formally on Monday when senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, acting as a mediator, met with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray. Thorat was instrumental in calming tensions after heated exchanges between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders last week. Thorat emphasized that although a few seats remained for discussion, the three parties had managed to resolve most of the contentious issues.
“There is no dispute among us. All three parties have strong candidates and are pressing their claims,” Thorat stated, signaling that the alliance had smoothed over most of their differences. A few remaining seats—Sangola, Junnar, Khed Alandi, Chinchwad, Bhosri, and Paranda—were claimed by both NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), but insiders said these would be resolved shortly.
Meanwhile, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is also grappling with seat-sharing talks among its members—the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The BJP is expected to contest 155 to 160 seats, Shiv Sena 85 to 90, and NCP 45 to 50. Disputes remain over 25 to 28 seats, including key constituencies in Mumbai like Andheri East, Dindoshi, and Worli, but these are expected to be resolved soon.
Leaders of the ruling alliance are scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to finalize their seat-sharing arrangement. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis headed to Delhi late on Tuesday to address these unresolved issues.
