MVA allies likely to contest 85 seats each in Maharashtra Assembly polls

Update: 2024-10-23 19:31 GMT

Mumbai: For the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena (UBT), has reached an agreement to contest 85 seats each, totalling 255 seats. The announcement comes after days of stalemate in seat-sharing discussions. The three parties are currently deliberating on how to allocate the remaining 33 seats among themselves and various smaller parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), and the Left.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut confirmed that consensus has been reached on 270 of the 288 seats for the November 20 elections, emphasising the coalition’s unity against the ruling Mahayuti government. State Congress chief Nana Patole reiterated that the remaining seats would be designated for smaller parties. The seat-sharing talks have faced delays due to disputes over specific constituencies, particularly in the Vidarbha region, where Congress is hesitant to concede ground following a strong performance in recent Lok Sabha polls. Later in the evening, the Shiv Sena (UBT) released its first list of 65 candidates for the elections with former minister Aaditya Thackeray being fielded from his present Worli constituency in central Mumbai.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party was the first constituent of the MVA alliance to release a list of candidates. The Congress and NCP(SP) have not previously released their lists.

Yuva Sena leader and Aaditya Thackeray’s cousin Varun Sardesai would contest from Bandra (East) seat in the city.

The party has renominated most of its MLAs who stayed with party chief Uddhav Thackeray after the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022. However, it is yet to declare the candidate from Shivadi seat in Mumbai, currently represented by the party’s Ajay Choudhary.

In neighbouring Thane’s Kopri-Panchpakhadi seat, where Chief Minister and rival Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde is in the fray, the Shiv Sena (UBT) fielded Kedar Dighe. Kedar Dighe is the nephew of late Sena leader Anand Dighe, considered to be Shinde’s political mentor.

In Mahim in central Mumbai, Sena (UBT)’s Mahesh Sawant will take on the Shiv Sena’s Sada Sarvankar and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s Amit Thackeray, son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, in a triangular contest.

The Sena (UBT) fielded former MP Rajan Vichare, who lost the Lok Sabha election earlier this year, from the Thane city Assembly seat. Vichare had represented the seat from 2009 until he won the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Satyajit Patil, who unsuccessfully contested from Hatkanangale Lok Sabha seat, has been fielded from Shahuwadi in Kolhapur district.

Some turncoats also found place in the Sena (UBT)’s first list. Former MP Unmesh Patil, who joined the party after the BJP denied him a Lok Sabha ticket, was fielded from Chalisgaon in Jalgaon district.

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