MUMBAI: Ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections, the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has ironed out differences over 125 seats while the remaining 163 seats remain contentious among the allies.
Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said, “There are no issues over 125 seats of the assembly among the alliance partners of MVA, but they need to resolve the differences over remaining 163 seats.”
He, however, said that after the Ganesh festival, the allies — Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) — will amicably address the differences and announce the seat- sharing pact for assembly elections.
“We are very much confident of coming back to power. The internal and external surveys also hinted that MVA is strong and likely to repeat its Lok Sabha performance. It can even do better,” the Congress leader said. “People of Maharashtra are waiting for the opportunity to throw this incumbent anti-Maharashtra MahaYuti government from power and bring back a government that will take the interest of the local people and farmers,” he said.
Sources in Congress said the party has demanded over 110 seats on the basis of its Lok Sabha poll performance. The Congress has emerged as the single-largest party by winning the highest 13 seats in Maharashtra. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s strike rate was 80 per cent. The party won eight Lok Sabha seats out of the 10 seats it contested. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena won nine seats against the 21 it contested.
The NCP (SP) is also asking for equal number of seats in assembly elections, party sources said. In the Lok Sabha polls, the NCP (SP) compromised and agreed to fight lower number of seats than the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), but it is not ready to settle a low deal in assembly elections, the sources said. Shiv Sena (UBT) is also asking for more than 100 seats, party leaders said.
A senior NCP (SP) leader said the assembly elections will be a “very close and fierce contest”, so each seat is important to win. “The allies should not remain adamant on seats. This attitude will keep the MVA away from power. Winnability should be the only criteria while allocating seats for assembly elections,” he said, requesting anonymity.