Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: Here Is The List Of Seats That SP Wants To Contest

Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav will be visiting Maharashtra on Friday as his party seeks to expand its presence in the upcoming Assembly elections. The SP, which contested seven seats in the 2019 elections, now aims to contest a larger number of constituencies in the state.

As part of the INDIA bloc, the SP is keen on contesting in seats such as Raver in Jalgaon district and Amravati due to a "large minority presence" and "strong anti-incumbency" factors, according to a report in The Indian Express. In the last elections, Congress bagged both the seats.

In addition to Raver and Amravati, the Samajwadi Party is also eyeing constituencies like Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Versova, and Anushakti Nagar (Mumbai Suburban district); Byculla (Mumbai City); Bhiwandi East and West (Thane); Malegaon Central (Nashik); Aurangabad East (Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar); Karanja (Washim); and Dhule City (Dhule district).

It has to be noted that the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had bagged the Anushakti Nagar seat in the 2019 elections.

• Amravati
• Anushakti Nagar (Mumbai Suburban district)
• Aurangabad East (Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar)
• Bhiwandi East (Thane)
• Bhiwandi West (Thane)
• Byculla (Mumbai City)
• Dhule City (Dhule district)
• Karanja (Washim)
• Malegaon Central (Nashik)
• Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar
• Raver (Jalgaon district)
• Versova

In 2019, the SP managed to win two out of the seven seats it contested in Maharashtra, though it lost its deposit in the remaining five.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Akhilesh Yadav said, "I am going to Maharashtra tomorrow. Our effort is to ensure that the INDIA bloc wins. In Maharashtra, the INDIA bloc parties include Sharad Pawar Ji's party, the former Chief Minister's (Uddhav Thackeray) party, and others including the Samajwadi Party."

He added, "With two MLAs in Maharashtra, we have sought some seats to contest alongside the INDIA bloc. We will continue to support the alliance with all our strength."

In Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress, and the NCP (led by Sharad Pawar), is battling against the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The Mahayuti consists of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP, and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.