Maharashtra Opposition Secures Seat Deal: Congress Set to Contest 18 Seats
According to sources cited by NDTV, the Sena (UBT) is slated to vie for four out of Mumbai’s six Lok Sabha seats. Among these, there is a possibility that one seat, potentially the Mumbai North East constituency, could be allocated to the VBA.
In Mumbai, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra has reached an agreement on the allocation of seats for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha election, sources informed NDTV on Friday morning. It is anticipated that a formal announcement will be made within the next 48 hours.
According to sources, the Shiv Sena faction under the leadership of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will vie for 20 out of the state’s 48 seats. The Congress is set to contest 18 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party unit, led by Sharad Pawar, will field candidates for the remaining 10 seats.
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, a regional party that initially sought five seats, will be allocated two seats from the Sena (UBT)’s quota. Additionally, an independent candidate, Raju Shetty, will receive support from Mr. Pawar’s organization.
According to sources, the Sena (UBT) is slated to compete for four out of the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, with the possibility of allocating one of them, potentially the Mumbai North East seat, to the VBA.
Sources informed NDTV last week that discussions concerning 39 seats had been concluded, highlighting significant disparities regarding Mumbai’s South Central and North West seats, which were both sought after by the Congress and Sena (UBT).
It is unclear how that dispute has been resolved.
During the 2019 election, the undivided Sena, in alliance with the BJP, competed for 23 seats, securing victory in 18, including Mumbai South Central and North West. The Congress, on the other hand, contested 25 seats but managed to win only in Chandrapur. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, also part of the undivided alliance at the time, contested from 19 seats and emerged victorious in four.
The BJP dominated that poll, winning 23 of the 25 seats it contested.
In the upcoming election, the BJP will receive support from rebel factions of the Shiv Sena and NCP, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, respectively. These leaders instigated revolts within their parties, perceived to be orchestrated by the BJP, before eventually joining the saffron party.
This deal comes after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached out to Mr Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.