Maharashtra Assembly Election: MVA Denies Impasse, Says Seat-Sharing Deal To Be Finalised Tonight

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) asserted on Saturday that there were no disputes among its partners regarding seat-sharing for the forthcoming Assembly elections, and confirmed that discussions to finalise the seats would be concluded by the end of the day today, reported India Today.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut stated that the Samajwadi Party remains aligned with the MVA and that talks had taken place between its leader Akhilesh Yadav and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Photo Credit: PTI

He also mentioned that discussions aimed at resolving any remaining differences between MVA allies were set to begin at 3 pm today.

"Ramesh Chennithala (Congress in-charge for Maharashtra) had come to Matoshree (Uddhav Thackeray's residence), and we held discussions in Uddhav Thackeray's presence. The talks, which were paused for two days, will resume today at 3 pm," Raut informed the media.

"We have decided that by late tonight, the discussions will be concluded, and our seat-sharing will be finalised. The Samajwadi Party is with us, and yesterday, talks were held between Uddhav Thackeray and Akhilesh Yadav," he added.

Sanjay Raut also noted that seat-sharing talks between his party and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) had been completed, as these two parties were driven by a willingness and mindset to resolve issues.

His comments appeared to be directed at the third MVA partner, Congress, following his earlier expression of frustration over delays in the seat-sharing negotiations and his accusation that the Maharashtra Congress leadership was struggling to make decisions.

Amid the deadlock over seat-sharing discussions, Uddhav Thackeray warned on Friday that internal disputes among allies, particularly Congress, must not be allowed to escalate to a breaking point.

Nana Patole, however, declined to respond to Raut's remarks but explained that the seat-sharing committees were formed to enable party leaders to report progress to their respective leaders.

"Sanjay Raut's leader is Uddhav Thackeray. Our leaders are Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and the leader of the NCP (SP) is Sharad Pawar. In the seat-sharing committee, neither Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Ji, Mallikarjun Kharge, nor Rahul Gandhi are present. But the committee has been formed under the instructions of these leaders," Patole said.

"Our responsibility is to keep our leader informed. If Sanjay Raut is guiding Uddhav Ji, that is their issue. Our duty is to convey the reality to our leaders, and we are doing just that. We do not wish to comment on Sanjay Raut's actions," he added.

Meanwhile, Ramesh Chennithala, Congress in-charge for Maharashtra, dismissed any suggestions of discord within the MVA and confirmed that alliance leaders would work on seat allocation later in the day.

"MVA has no differences, and we are united in this. We will hold further discussions on seat-sharing at 3 pm today. Nana Patole, Sanjay Raut, and Jayant Patil will be working on seat division today," Chennithala said.

On Thursday, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar announced that the opposition MVA had reached a consensus on 200 Assembly seats for the elections, according to reports from news agency PTI.

The MVA, comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), will contest its first Assembly election since the splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP in June 2022 and July 2023, respectively.

The Assembly election for 288 seats in Maharashtra is scheduled for November 20, with vote counting set to take place on November 23.

(With agency inputs)