MVA starts talks on seat sharing for Maharashtra polls; Shiv Sena seeks 20 seats: report

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has kickstarted discussions on a potential seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming state assembly elections, commencing with Mumbai.

During a meeting held on Saturday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) voiced its preference for 20 seats, Congress put forward a request for 15 seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) sought seven seats. A final decision on the allocation of seats is expected in a meeting scheduled for next week, as reported by Hindustan Times.

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In the 2019 assembly elections, the three parties were victorious in 20 out of the 36 seats in Mumbai, leaving 16 seats up for negotiation. The original Shiv Sena secured 14 seats, Congress managed to win four, while the combined NCP and Samajwadi Party secured one seat each.

After the split within the Shiv Sena and NCP in recent years, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Sena currently has the support of eight MLAs, as opposed to NCP-SP, which has none after Nawab Malik, elected from Anushakti Nagar, aligned with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Hindustan Times revealed, based on sources within the MVA, that the Shiv Sena (UBT) stands firm on contesting 20 seats. A senior leader from the Thackeray faction stated, “The party believes that we are in a stronger position than our allies and, therefore, should secure the majority of the 36 assembly seats in the city.”

“Shiv Sena aims to compete for all 14 seats it won in 2019, except Chandivali, which it is willing to swap with Vandre East from Congress,” an insider from MVA informed HT.

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When asked about the potential CM candidate for MVA in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Sharad Pawar of NCP-SCP stated, “No one from my party is interested. We are not projecting anyone for the CM position. We simply seek a change in the governance as we aim to provide good governance to the state.”

Ashish Shelar, Mumbai BJP President, predicted the impending dissolution of the Maha Vikas Aghadi due to disagreements over seat-sharing in the upcoming Assembly elections, as reported by ANI.

Shelar underlined that the MVA coalition is likely to fracture after the elections, with all three parties (Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP-SCP) vying for the CM post.

He stated, “The Maha Vikas Aghadi is nearing its expiration date. It is probable that the coalition will disintegrate over seat allocation. Even if they manage to navigate through seat-sharing, the coalition is destined to collapse immediately post-elections, given the aspirations of all three parties for the CM role.”

Reports suggest that Thackeray is contemplating fielding Varun Sardesai, the Secretary of Yuva Sena and Thackeray’s nephew, from Vandre East. This seat was previously held by Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique, expected to join the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Congress leaders are optimistic about this swap, noting the narrow loss in the Chandivali seat where Arif Naseem Khan ran.

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“Naseem Khan has represented the seat twice prior to 2019 and is eager to contest it again,” mentioned a Mumbai party leader.

“We have deliberated on the potential criteria for the seat-sharing formula today. It primarily hinges on the prior seat holders’ track record and the caliber of the candidate,” added a senior MVA figure, noting, “All three parties are keen on retaining the seats they have previously clinched in past elections.”

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are slated for this year, pending an official announcement from the Election Commission.

(With inputs from agencies)