MVA set to announce final seat-sharing; Raut hints at minor rejigging

Pune: The final seat-sharing formula of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance would be announced by Friday morning, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole

said on Thursday.

The party has already asked some of its candidates who are certain to get tickets for the November 20 Assembly elections to file their nomination papers, Patole

told reporters here.

“The final seat-sharing will be announced by today evening or tomorrow morning,” he said.

After days of stalemate, the opposition alliance on Wednesday announced that the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) would contest 85 seats each of the total 288, and talks for the remaining seats

were underway.

Earlier on Thursday, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut indicated that there could be the swapping of some seats among the allies, and his party could eventually contest 100 seats.

“There can be an exchange of seats,” Raut said, stressing merit and winnability will be the key factors in selecting a candidate.

“There can be switching of seats in one or two places. In some places, candidates have to be changed at the last minute. I don’t think anything drastic can happen

beyond this,” he said.

But the three parties have agreed to 85-85-85 (formula), he said.

“We have come close to scoring a century. We will hit two-three sixers. We scored 85 and the match is still on. We will score the remaining runs,” Raut said, drawing a parallel with a cricket match.

Meanwhile, asked about Congress workers shouting slogans declaring him as the Congress’s chief ministerial face, Patole said their first task is to bring the MVA to power. “The decision on the CM post will be taken by the high

command,” he added.

Asked about the controversy over the sale of a reserved 35-acre land parcel in Pune by the state government to a builder, Patole said Maharashtra needed to be saved, “so it is our responsibility to save Maharashtra.”