SP to contest 20 Seats in Maharashtra amid seat-sharing dispute

Mumbai: Disappointed with the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) response to the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) seat-sharing demands, SP Maharashtra Chief Abu Azmi announced plans for the party to contest at least 20 seats in the state. Azmi warned that any impact on the alliance due to a vote split would result from the MVA’s neglect of SP’s concerns.

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav emphasised that "there is no place for sacrifice in politics" and affirmed that if the MVA does not include the SP in the alliance, the party will run independently in constituencies where it has significant public support. “We will only contest in seats where we will receive votes or have active support, but we won’t harm the alliance by running in seats that would undermine it,” Yadav clarified.

The SP has long demanded five seats within the MVA framework, but the alliance has yet to finalize a decision. This delay has led to increasing frustration within the SP. On Saturday, Azmi told ANI that if their demands are not met, the party will have no choice but to contest alone.

“We discussed our concerns with Sharad Pawar, who promised a decision soon, but we received no follow-up,” Azmi shared. He expressed disappointment over the possibility of being "betrayed" for the third time, noting that the seats SP had sought were being distributed without consideration. “We don’t wish to disrupt the MVA or split votes, but if our needs are ignored, we are prepared to proceed independently. Akhilesh Yadav has given me full authority to act in SP's best interest," Azmi stated.