MUMBAI : The negotiations for seat-sharing within the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition are nearing completion, although agreement is still pending on nine Lok Sabha constituencies. Contentious seats include Kolhapur, Sangli, Mumbai North West, Ramtek, Wardha, Bhiwandi, Yawatmal, Wasim, and Gondiya-Bhandara.
A senior Congress leader indicated that the seat-sharing formula within the Maha Vikas Aghadi is close to finalisation, with 20 seats allocated for the Congress, 18 for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, and the remaining 10 for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Negotiations are underway with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, led by Prakash Ambedkar, and the Rashtriya Samaj Pak, led by Mahadev Jankar, who have respectively been offered four and one seat.
While Congress and Shiv Sena are prepared to allocate four seats to Prakash Ambedkar from their quota, NCP (SP) is willing to concede one seat to Mahadeo Jankar, likely the Madha Lok Sabha seat. However, the announcement of seat-sharing is pending until after a scheduled rally of Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai on Sunday.
On the other hand, the seat-sharing arrangement within the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has been settled. The BJP will contest 30 Lok Sabha seats, while CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena will contest 11 seats and DCM Ajit Pawar’s NCP will pursue seven seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Nonetheless, six seats, including Amravati, South Mumbai, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri Sindhudurg, and Thane Lok Sabha seats, remain a bone of contention.
