MVA Achieves Uneasy Truce Over Seat Sharing, MNS Extends Support To Mahayuti
There was unease in Maharashtra Congress after Maha Vikas Aghadi formally announced its final seat sharing pact for the Lok Sabha elections. As per the final agreement, Shiv Sena UBT will contest 21 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress will contest 17 seats, and NCP (SP) 10 seats. The Congress high command has given up its claim on contentious Sangli, Bhiwandi and Mumbai South Central seats. The development has dismayed several party leaders, who were hoping to get candidature from the three seats.
The decision was announced in a joint press conference held by NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan at the Shiv Sena (UBT) office in south Mumbai.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut read out the names of seats which were distributed among all three constituents. The state Congress leaders were pushing for the Sangli, Bhiwandi and Mumbai South Central seats. However, the Bhiwandi seat has gone to the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and the remaining two have gone to Shiv Sena UBT.
Amid rising dissent over seat-sharing agreement in the party, Congress president Nana Patole said that all party leaders will accept the high command’s decision. “We are fighting this election to stop dictatorship and save the Constitution. People have seen how efforts are taken to get favourable seats, but finally decisions were taken in the larger interest. Now that the decision has been made, I am confident that all leaders will accept it,” he said.
Asked if Congress is satisfied with the number of the seats, Patole said that Congress is a national party, but it has shown a large heart to root out the dictatorship from the country. “We will throw the BJP out of Maharashtra,” he said.
Sharad Pawar said that there is no dispute on any Lok Sabha seat of Maharashtra. “The unanimous decision has been read out. There is no disagreement on any of the 48 seats. The candidates will be announced for all the seats in the next two days,” he said.
Uddhav Thackeray said that the MVA tried everything in vain to bring Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in the alliance. “We even offered Ambedkar some seats. Unfortunately, it did not work. I have already stated last week that we will not say anything against Ambedkar as we respect him,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray declared “unconditional” support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. “The country needs strong leadership and I am extending my unconditional support to the Mahayuti only for Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Thackeray while addressing his party's annual Gudhi Padwa rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar.
