Maharashtra assembly election: Crucial day for Maha Vikas Aghadi as seat-sharing deal set to be finalised

The pivotal gathering of the MVA is scheduled for Tuesday in preparation for the Maharashtra election 2024, aiming to solidify the seat allocation arrangement among its allied parties.

A crucial meeting is scheduled to take place in Mumbai on Tuesday, October 22, between the ally parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to finalize the seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Following several days of negotiations, the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are expected to reach a consensus on the allocation of seats.

Ramesh Chennithala, the AICC state in-charge, announced that the MVA alliance in Maharashtra is set to finalize its seat-sharing agreement in a meeting on Tuesday at 3 pm. Additionally, he mentioned that another CEC meeting is planned for October 25.

The Central Election Committee of Congress has currently discussed potential nominees for 63 seats. Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole previously stated that a deadlock over 35-40 seats was ongoing among the MVA allies.

Sanjay Raut, a leader of Shiv Sena, declared on Sunday that the Maha Vikas Aghadi had reached a consensus on 210 out of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. Highlighting this as a remarkable milestone, he emphasized the collective goal of contesting elections as a unified entity to triumph over those exploiting Maharashtra, as stated by the Rajya Sabha MP.

Despite ongoing discussions within the alliance, a formal agreement on the allocation of seats to the Congress for the upcoming assembly elections has not been finalized. Tensions between the Congress and Shiv Sena have persisted over the issue of sharing seats, leading to a meeting between Chennithala, Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday. However, the meeting did not result in a resolution to the deadlock.

After much deliberation, Congress has made a significant decision to break the gridlock with the parties involved. Insider sources from the MVA have disclosed to HT that Congress will yield the Vandre East and Ghatkopar West seats in Mumbai to Shiv Sena (UBT). Furthermore, in a gesture of willingness to resolve the deadlock, the esteemed party has also consented to relinquish two seats in Vidarbha.

The Congress party remains firm in their refusal to give up the Nagpur South seat to Uddhav Thackeray’s party.

According to a senior Congress leader interviewed by HT, Zeeshan Siddique presently represents the Vandre East constituency as its MLA; however, the Sena (UBT) is considering nominating Uddhav Thackeray’s nephew Varun Sardesai for the same seat.

Nana Patole announced that candidates for 96 seats have been approved by the party’s screening committee. With tensions appearing to have alleviated between the two allied parties in recent days, it is anticipated that the seat-sharing arrangement will be settled by Tuesday evening.