MUMBAI : The dissatisfaction prevailing among local Congress leaders over the party’s seat-sharing agreement with MVA allies has reportedly reached the top leadership of the party in Delhi. The local leaders have urged the leadership to intervene else it will have repercussions in the Lok Sabha elections.
In the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance , Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has got the highest 21 parliamentary seats, while the Congress has 17 and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) 10.
“Local leaders believe that they have been given short shrift in the seat-sharing. The deal has enabled the Shiv Sena (UBT) to bag the highest price despite a split in the party,” said a Congress leader.
“The locals blame the state leadership who failed to negotiate fairly with the alliance partners and did not take the top leadership in the loop. We not only got fewer seats, but most of the seats given to us are tough to crack. In comparison, alliance partners took easy seats,” said the Congress leader.
Party sources said Mumbai Congress chief and party MLA Varsha Gaikwad rushed to Delhi along with other senior party leaders to convey the feelings of party leaders over the sharing deal.
Varsha Gaikwad was keen to contest the Mumbai South central seat because it was earlier represented by her father late Eknath Gaikwad and claimed fair chances to win the elections. But Uddhav Thackeray fielded his close aide Anil Desai.
On the other hand, after announcing Dr Shobha Bacchav’s candidature from the Dhule Lok Sabha seat, the Nasik and Dhule district Congress chiefs resigned in protest and demanded cancelling the candidature of Dr Bacchav, calling her an outsider.
A senior party leader said that in Maharashtra, the Congress is a divided house and that there was no coordination among the state leaders.