Lok Sabha Polls: Maha Vikas Aghadi Finalises Seat-Sharing Formula

The seat-sharing formula of Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has been finalised today. A joint press conference, attended by Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and the state Congress president Nana Patole, announced the formula.

The seat-sharing formula was decided after months of discussions and mutual arguments over the seat-sharing dispute for the imminent Lok Sabha elections.

Out of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) will contest in 21 seats. The Congress will contest a total of 17 seats while the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) will be fielding its candidates in 10 seats.

The MVA, part of the INDIA bloc, will be confronting the BJP-headed Maha Yuti that includes Eknath Shinde-headed Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

Notably, the Sangli constituency which had seen a tussle between the Congress and Shiv Sena UBT has been given to the Uddhav Thackeray’s party. The Congress local leadership had insisted on their demand for the seat and they had even boycotted the event at Sangli attended by Thackeray. UBT’s candidate for the seat is Wrestler Chandrahar Patil.

However, after the finalization of the seat-sharing formula, Shiv Sena UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said that their party has given Ramtek and Amravati seats to the Congress. “As far as Sangli is concerned, our workers from western Maharashtra wanted to contest the seat. So we decided to exchange the Kolhapur seat with Congress.” He had earlier said that the sentiments of the Congress leaders will be calmed down in a couple of days. Commenting on the seat-sharing formula, Uddhav Thackeray said that the winnability should be given priority.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar had last month expressed his concern over the impasse in the seat-sharing finalisation in the state. He had also urged the Congress to sit together with other parties and finalise the discussions, noting the shortage of time before the Lok Sabha elections.

The 48 constituencies of Maharashtra will go to the polls in five phases between April 19 and May 20.