NEW DELHI : The seat sharing formula has been decided between the India alliance in Maharashtra. It is believed that under the alliance, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena-UBT will contest on most seats in Maharashtra.Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi is also included in this alliance, which has been given two seats.
Apart from this, farmer leader Raju Shetty’s Swabhiman Paksha will contest on one seat.The deal regarding seats came after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi approached Mr Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.
This is a big progress for India Alliance.
There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Under the fixed formula, Shiv Sena-UBT will contest elections on 21 seats in the state, while Congress has been given 15 seats. Apart from this, Sharad Pawar’s faction NCP will try its luck on 9 seats. However, after the official announcement it will be decided which party will field candidates from which seat. Whereas NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction may get nine seats.
On the other hand, sources associated with Mahavikas Aghadi say that seat sharing will be announced in a joint press conference soon. It is being told that it has been agreed that the party of which the sitting MP is. The same party will get that seat, even if that MP is no longer in the party after the division of the party or due to any other reason. According to information received from Congress sources, party leaders will hold a meeting with senior leaders in Delhi and decide the names of their candidates.
On Wednesday, there was a meeting of MVA constituents in a hotel in Mumbai regarding seat sharing, after which while talking to the press, Sanjay Raut said that the draft of seat sharing has been prepared. A meeting will be held again on Thursday and it will be finalized. He had said that just as seat sharing is happening in other states, it will happen in Maharashtra too. According to information received, the Sena (UBT) will contest four of the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, one of which – probably the Mumbai North East seat – may go to the VBA. Last week, sources said talks had settled for 39 seats, with major differences on Mumbai’s South Central and North West seats – both the Congress and the Sena (UBT) wanted them.
In the 2019 elections, the Sena (then undivided and in alliance with the BJP) contested 23 seats and won 18, including Mumbai South Central and North West. The Congress contested 25 seats and won only Chandrapur, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP (then undivided) contested 19 seats and won four. The BJP dominated that election and won 23 of the 25 seats it contested.
This time the BJP will be supported by the rebel factions of Shiv Sena and NCP, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, each of whom led the rebellion – which was believed to be supported by the BJP – after leaving their parties and then Joined the saffron party.
(With Inputs from Mumbai).

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