Congress Eyes More Than 100 Assembly Seats in MVA’s Seat Sharing Pact

Mumbai: Ahead of seat sharing talks of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on August 7, Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday held a meeting with members of the negotiations committee of the party in Mumbai. The negotiations committee will have a dialogue with Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) of the MVA. Sources in the party said that the party can claim more than 100 out of 288 Assembly seats.

The Congress party will sound state Assembly poll bulge in Mumbai on the occasion of birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 20.

Mr. Chennithala held the meeting at a five star hotel in Mumbai former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, state Congress chief Nana Patole and senior leaders Nitin Raut, Satej Patil, Bhai Jagtap, Naseem Khan and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad among others.

A senior Congress leader, who attended the meeting, said that they held a primary discussion over the seats where the party can win. In addition to this, criteria for seat sharing among the constituents of the MVA have also been discussed.

“We decided to study the assembly constituencies, which have a favourable environment for the party before the seat sharing. We also need to consider the sentiments of the party workers before sorting out the constituencies. We discussed what stand we need to take on the disputed seats which all the constituents may claim during the negotiations,” he said.

Mr. Chennithala said that the seat sharing will be discussed on August 7. The MVA is capable and all the constituents of the MVA will fight together in the Assembly election. “We are hopeful that the people will repose their faith in the MVA like they did in the Lok Sabha election,” he said.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, the Congress emerged as a single largest party by winning 13 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, the Congress has planned a grand programme to mark the birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 20. Paty president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi among other senior leaders will take part in it. The senior Congress leader said that Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray have also been invited for the grand event.

A senior party leader said that the event will be held either at BKC or NESCO in Goregaon. “This event will sound bugle for the Maharashtra Assembly election,” he said.