Led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, the Shiv Sena today announced 16 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.Shiv Sena (UBT) today announced 16 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, the party has strategically positioned former Union minister Arvind Sawant to contest from Mumbai South, and MP Gajanan Kirtikar’s son, Amol Kirtikar, to represent Mumbai North-West.
Anil Desai has been nominated for Mumbai South-Central, while former Union minister Anant Geete has been fielded from Raigad. Narendra Khedekar will contest from Buldhana, and Chandrahar Patil in Sangli, as per Sanjay Raut’s post on X (formerly Twitter).
However, the announcement has stirred dissatisfaction within the Congress ranks, particularly due to the choice of candidate for Sangli, a seat traditionally held by the Congress. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition comprising the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar, and the Congress, disagreed over the allocation of at least two Mumbai seats and the Sangli seat in western Maharashtra.
Despite deliberations with Sharad Pawar, the deadlock persisted, particularly over the Sangli seat, which the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) remained adamant about. The Congress, highlighting its historical stronghold in Sangli since Independence, questioned the Shiv Sena’s (UBT) insistence on the seat, given its lack of local support.
“The Sena (UBT) can bargain on any other seat but not Sangli, which has remained a Congress bastion for years since Independence. Sena (UBT) won’t even win the seat without our backing, so why do they want this seat? Our unit in Sangli has a strong objection to ceding this seat to Shiv Sena (UBT),” a party leader said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that the alliance protocol necessitates discussion and resolution for contentious seats. But the way Uddhav Thackeray announced the Sangli seat is a bit problematic, he said.
Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique lamented the impact of the INDIA bloc on the party’s cadre in Maharashtra. Siddique, son of former Congress leader Baba Siddique, criticised the alliance’s approach, particularly Shiv Sena UBT’s decisions regarding Sangli and Mumbai South Central.
“Shiv Sena UBT declaring candidates for Sangli and mumbai south central shows how much they value and respect the congress party as their allies. I have been criticised for speaking against UBT Shiv Sena but one day people will realise how this alliance will only damage the cadre of the congress party in Maharashtra,” Siddique wrote on X.
Siddique was removed as the president of the Congress’ youth wing in Mumbai last month, after his father Baba Siddique quit the Congress and joined Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Another Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam urged the party to end their alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) saying “the way it has taken 5 seats of Mumbai. It seems that there is a plan to bury Congress in Mumbai. It seems that Shiv Sena wants to force Congress to kneel.”
“If Shiv Sena thinks it can fight alone then it is making a big mistake,” Nirupam added.
He also sees Sena’s list as a failure of Congress’s top leadership and hinted at leaving the party. “I will wait for a week for the Congress leadership to take a decision after which I am open to all the options,” Nirupam said amid rumours that he could switch to the ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti alliance, which is yet to announce a candidate for the Mumbai North West, the seat he is keen on.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh. Voting in the state will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.