LS polls: MVA unveils seat distribution deal in Maharashtra

Mumbai: The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition unveiled their deal for seat distribution, where Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 21 seats, the Congress 17, and NCP (SP) 10 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.

The alliance’s leaders, Sharad Pawar of NCP (SP), Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nana Patole of the Congress announced the poll pact for the 48 parliamentary seats in the state at a press conference here after weeks of negotiations.

The Lok Sabha elections in the state are scheduled to occur in five stages, starting from April 19 and concluding on May 20.

During a media briefing at the ‘Shivalaya’, the headquarters of Shiv Sena (UBT) in South Mumbai, the party’s chief and ex-chief minister of the state, Uddhav Thackeray, announced that an agreement on seat distribution has been finalized. He emphasized that the primary objective of the alliance is to win and to defeat the BJP. Thackeray remarked that setting aside minor disagreements is necessary when the overarching aim is to triumph over the BJP, referencing the party’s decision not to allocate the Sangli seat to Congress.

eclipse, a new moon, and a BJP rally all coinciding on the same day, which was Monday. Responding to comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who labeled his faction as the “counterfeit Shiv Sena,” Thackeray stated that Modi’s recent speech did not befit a prime minister. He urged that any forthcoming responses from his side should not be construed as disrespect towards the prime minister, but rather as criticism of the leader of a party he deems corrupt.

Thackeray further accused the BJP of being a party of swindlers, citing the revelation of the electoral bonds scandal as evidence. Nana Patole, the president of the Maharashtra Congress, declared that his party is prepared to be magnanimous to fulfill the ultimate aim of defeating PM Modi and the BJP.

He assured that Congress workers are committed to combating the BJP and securing the success of MVA candidates in the constituencies of Sangli and Bhiwandi. Patole also recalled the mistreatment of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by the BJP, stating that their workers will always remember it.

Lastly, he claimed that the factions led by Thackeray and Sharad Pawar have been commandeered by dissidents. Despite this, he affirmed that the true leaders of both parties stand with them, in contrast to Modi’s description of Thackeray’s group as the “fake Shiv Sena.”