NEW DELHI/MUMBAI : Key political adversaries in Maharashtra — the opposition MVA and the ruling MahaYuti — have so far failed to sort out differences in their camps over seat allocation. Congress leaders on Friday remained engrossed in their Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting chaired by party chief Malllikarjun Kharge in fine-tuning the second list of candidates.
On the other hand, MahaYuti partners, reportedly camped in Delhi, haggled for more seats, though BJP is leant to to have drawn the line, sources said.
Though the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) announced that they would contest 85 seats each, they are yet to reach an agreement on the remaining 33 seats. Meanwhile, INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party (SP) has also been pushing for five seats.
Speaking to the media after the poll panel meeting in Delhi, state Congress chief Nana Patole said the third and final list of candidates will be released on Saturday. “We will perform better in Assembly polls, and the MVA will form government,” said Patole.
AICC Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala dismissed reports of any rift among the MVA partners. “The Congress CEC discussed the remaining seats of Maharashtra. The full list will be out by tomorrow. The MVA is united,” he said.
In MahaYuti, the BJP has decided not to concede more seats to CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Source said in the Delhi meeting, Shinde put up MVA-like formula for MahaYuti. But the BJP leadership refused to yield.
“Shinde demanded 100 seats, while BJP’s offer was 80. Similarly, Ajit Pawar demanded 60 seats, but the BJP told him he would get 55 seats maximum,” said a senior Shiv Sena leader privy to the development.
“Ajit has to also accommodate BJP leaders who will contest under the NCP symbol. So, the space for NCP leaders is shrinking within their own party whereas BJP is keeping its dominance,” said the Sena leader.