As the Maharashtra Assembly elections approach, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is on the brink of finalizing its seat-sharing arrangement. A crucial meeting among alliance members is set for Tuesday, October 22, in Mumbai, where leaders aim to break the ongoing impasse over seat allocations. This follows several days of intense negotiations between the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).
Ramesh Chennithala, the AICC in-charge of Maharashtra, confirmed that the much-anticipated seat-sharing deal will be finalized during the 3 PM meeting. He also mentioned that another Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting is scheduled for October 25. Currently, the Congress Central Election Committee has shortlisted candidates for 63 seats, while Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has indicated that discussions are still pending over 35 to 40 contested seats.
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On Sunday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut announced that the MVA has reached a consensus on 210 out of 288 seats, marking a significant step forward. “This is a notable achievement. We are committed to contesting as a united front to defeat those exploiting Maharashtra,” he stated. However, the parties have yet to agree on the number of seats allocated to Congress.
To address tensions surrounding seat allocations, Chennithala met with Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday, although the discussions did not yield a resolution. Sources within the MVA have revealed that Congress is willing to concede the Vandre East and Ghatkopar West seats in Mumbai to Shiv Sena (UBT) to facilitate an agreement. Additionally, the party has agreed to relinquish two seats in Vidarbha, although it remains firm on not giving up the Nagpur South seat.
The Vandre East constituency is currently represented by Zeeshan Siddique, but Shiv Sena (UBT) is eager to field Varun Sardesai, Uddhav Thackeray’s nephew, from that seat. Despite the ongoing negotiations, Nana Patole announced that the screening committee has already cleared candidates for 96 seats. With the recent easing of tensions, the MVA coalition is optimistic that the seat-sharing deal will be finalized by Tuesday evening, paving the way for a united campaign in the upcoming elections.
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