- April 10, 2024
UBT to contest 21 Maharashtra seats, Congress 17, NCP 10 | India News – Times of India
MUMBAI: Maha Vikas Aghadi finalised on Tuesday its seat-sharing formula for all 48 LS seats in Maharashtra with Congress conceding two prime seats – Sangli and Bhiwandi – to its allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP). Sena (UBT) has got 21 seats, the biggest share, Congress 17 and NCP(SP) 10, reports Prafulla Marpakwar.
With Congress also giving up its claim on Mumbai South Central, it will now contest only two of Mumbai’s six seats, with four being fought by Uddhav’s Sena.Though MPCC chief Nana Patole, legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat and Congress negotiators were not in favour of conceding the seats, AICC had directed the state leadership to give up its claim “in the larger interest of INDIA”.
Not a surrender: Maha Cong; Pawar calls deal unanimous
UBT Sena MP Sanjay Raut declared the formula in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Patole, Thorat, former CM Prithviraj Chavan and state NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil, among others.
The Congress had been insisting on Sangli, Bhiwandi and Mumbai South Central all through the negotiations process which MVA began in December. But when talks were still on, Uddhav Thackeray last week unilaterally declared the candidature of Chandrahar Patil for Sangli and Anil Desai for Mumbai South Central while Sharad Pawar declared Suresh Mhatre as his nominee for Bhiwandi, leading to the state Congress lodging a strong protest and urging Thackeray in particular to reconsider his decision. When there was no response, the state leaders took up the matter with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary KC Venugopal, who asked them to take a step back.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had contested 23 seats, of which it won 18, while on the remaining it was either at number two or three. Therefore it was all along insisting on fighting 22 seats and has been able to secure 21. The Congress had contested 26 seats in 2019 and won just one, Chandrapur, where its nominee Balu Dhanorkar had defeated veteran BJP leader Hansraj Ahir.
In 22 of the seats it lost, Congress was at number two, while the undivided NCP, which contested 22 seats, had won 4 and was at number two on 17.
Sharad Pawar said the final formula has been arrived at after taking all constituents into confidence. “It is a unanimous decision. I am sure MVA workers will work wholeheartedly, our goal is to defeat the NDA led by Narendra Modi,” he said.
Patole said, “We have given up two contentious seats (Sangli and Bhiwandi), but it is not a surrender. We took a step back in seat-sharing negotiations in the MVA as it was not possible to continue talks indefinitely. We did it in the larger interest of MVA as our goal is to defeat the NDA government. We will explain the situation to our workers in Sangli and Bhiwandi, I am sure they will listen to us.”
Patole said the deal has the AICC’s approval. “We tried our best to get the seats where we had good prospects of winning, but talks could not be stretched too far as the election process has begun,” he added.
According to reports, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad has written to AICC general secretary KV Venugopal expressing concern over the Congress leadership’s failure to secure Sangli and Mumbai South Central seats for the party.
Uddhav Thackeray had earlier said that whenever negotiations are in progress, there is a stage at which one has to stop further debate and take a decision. His party, he had said, had taken the decision to contest Sangli and Mumbai South Central and there was no going back.
The four seats UBT Sena will contest in Mumbai are Mumbai South, South Central, North East and North West, while Congress will contest Mumbai North and North Central.
With Congress also giving up its claim on Mumbai South Central, it will now contest only two of Mumbai’s six seats, with four being fought by Uddhav’s Sena.Though MPCC chief Nana Patole, legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat and Congress negotiators were not in favour of conceding the seats, AICC had directed the state leadership to give up its claim “in the larger interest of INDIA”.
Not a surrender: Maha Cong; Pawar calls deal unanimous
UBT Sena MP Sanjay Raut declared the formula in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Patole, Thorat, former CM Prithviraj Chavan and state NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil, among others.
The Congress had been insisting on Sangli, Bhiwandi and Mumbai South Central all through the negotiations process which MVA began in December. But when talks were still on, Uddhav Thackeray last week unilaterally declared the candidature of Chandrahar Patil for Sangli and Anil Desai for Mumbai South Central while Sharad Pawar declared Suresh Mhatre as his nominee for Bhiwandi, leading to the state Congress lodging a strong protest and urging Thackeray in particular to reconsider his decision. When there was no response, the state leaders took up the matter with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary KC Venugopal, who asked them to take a step back.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had contested 23 seats, of which it won 18, while on the remaining it was either at number two or three. Therefore it was all along insisting on fighting 22 seats and has been able to secure 21. The Congress had contested 26 seats in 2019 and won just one, Chandrapur, where its nominee Balu Dhanorkar had defeated veteran BJP leader Hansraj Ahir.
In 22 of the seats it lost, Congress was at number two, while the undivided NCP, which contested 22 seats, had won 4 and was at number two on 17.
Sharad Pawar said the final formula has been arrived at after taking all constituents into confidence. “It is a unanimous decision. I am sure MVA workers will work wholeheartedly, our goal is to defeat the NDA led by Narendra Modi,” he said.
Patole said, “We have given up two contentious seats (Sangli and Bhiwandi), but it is not a surrender. We took a step back in seat-sharing negotiations in the MVA as it was not possible to continue talks indefinitely. We did it in the larger interest of MVA as our goal is to defeat the NDA government. We will explain the situation to our workers in Sangli and Bhiwandi, I am sure they will listen to us.”
Patole said the deal has the AICC’s approval. “We tried our best to get the seats where we had good prospects of winning, but talks could not be stretched too far as the election process has begun,” he added.
According to reports, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad has written to AICC general secretary KV Venugopal expressing concern over the Congress leadership’s failure to secure Sangli and Mumbai South Central seats for the party.
Uddhav Thackeray had earlier said that whenever negotiations are in progress, there is a stage at which one has to stop further debate and take a decision. His party, he had said, had taken the decision to contest Sangli and Mumbai South Central and there was no going back.
The four seats UBT Sena will contest in Mumbai are Mumbai South, South Central, North East and North West, while Congress will contest Mumbai North and North Central.
