With the Lok Sabha elections just a few weeks away, political dynamics are in full swing as parties are engaging in alignments and realignments. The opposition INDIA bloc is busy with intense negotiations regarding seat sharing among its members. While agreements have been reached in some states, challenges persist in others. Presently, discussions are underway between Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray to resolve the deadlock over eight of Maharashtra”s 48 seats.
Reportedly, the Congress aims to contest three of Mumbai”s six Lok Sabha seats – Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North Central, and Mumbai North West. On the other hand, Uddhav Thackeray seeks to contest 18 Lok Sabha seats in the state, including four in Mumbai – Mumbai South, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, and Mumbai South Central.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have already discussed the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, state NCP chief Jayant Patil said on Thursday.
Congress” Maharashtra in-charge, Ramesh Chennithala, also said that the seat-sharing negotiations among the members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance are nearing completion. The final decision will be announced after a meeting of the alliance on February 27 and 28, he said.
Following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Uddhav Thackeray”s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar”s NCP, and the Congress formed an alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, despite ideological differences. The MVA now consists of Congress, NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Prakash Ambedkar”s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. While they have reached an agreement on nearly 40 seats, negotiations remain stuck on eight seats.
In the 2019 polls, the undivided Shiv Sena contested 22 of 48 seats, winning 18, including three in Mumbai. However, shortly after the state polls, Uddhav Thackeray”s party terminated its 25-year alliance with the BJP due to disagreements over power-sharing terms.
The subsequent split within the Shiv Sena led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, with Eknath Shinde”s faction forming a new government with the BJP. Earlier this year, Sharad Pawar”s NCP faced a similar split when Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP coalition government.
The defections of prominent Congress leaders — former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Milind Deora — have further complicated seat negotiations for the Maharashtra opposition allies.
Despite these challenges, there is a determination among Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge to find a resolution, recognizing that for each party, it is a battle for survival.
Recently, the Congress successfully concluded challenging seat sharing agreements with Arvind Kejriwal”s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Akhilesh Yadav”s Samajwadi Party. Efforts are also underway to finalise a deal with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been reluctant to concede more than five of her state”s 42 seats.
This shift comes a month after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee announced that her party will fight the Lok Sabha polls alone. The Congress party’s successful seat sharing talks with the AAP and Samajwadi Party (SP) may have prompted a change in her stance.
