New Delhi: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) (NCP (SP)), revealed its seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday (April 9).
The announcement came after weeks of intense negotiations and deliberations among the coalition partners.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the dominant player, securing 21 seats.
The Congress has been allotted 17 seats, while the NCP (SP) has been designated ten seats.
Congress takes a step back, surrenders contentious seats
A notable aspect of the seat allocation is the Congress’s decision to leave its claim over certain constituencies, most notably Sangli, Mumbai South Central and Bhiwandi.
Despite initial reservations and public expressions of displeasure, Congress leaders have demonstrated a spirit of accommodation and compromise “for the larger goal of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)” in the elections, Congress state president Nana Patole said during a joint press conference of the MVA.
The decision reflects a pragmatic approach aimed at maximising the MVA’s electoral prospects and presenting a united front against the ruling party.
Vishwajeet Kadam, currently a Congress MLA and the son of former Congress minister Patangrao Kadam, was interested in contesting from the Sangli seat, but the Shiv Sena (UBT) declared two-time champion of the Maharashtra Kesari wrestling championship Chandrahaar Patil from the constituency.
Similarly, the Congress was interested in the Mumbai South Central seat as Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad was keen on fighting from here. But on Tuesday, the MVA decided to field a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from the constituency.
The contentious Dharavi redevelopment project falls in this constituency.
Coalition solidarity amidst challenges
Addressing concerns about potential discord within the coalition, leaders from the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) emphasised the importance of unity and collective action in the pursuit of shared political objectives.
Uddhav Thackeray said that the MVA would announce a joint manifesto.
Nana Patole reaffirmed commitment to the MVA’s unity, stating that the Sangli, Bhiwandi and Mumbai South Central seat allocations were completed orders from the party’s high command.
Emphasising the coalition’s goal of defeating the BJP, Patole urged disgruntled workers to abide by directives.
The statement came after a meeting attended by Varsha Gaikwad.
“I’m upset too, but as a chief, we have to face what we have and defeat the BJP. The seat has been allotted and now there is no discussion about it. The media should pay more attention to the issues of the people and to the issues of farmers,” Patole said.
Meanwhile, supporters of Vishwajeet Kadam have shared posters urging Congresspeople to fight independently.
A day after the MVA rejected the candidature of Congress state vice-president Vishal Patil, his brother and former minister Prateek Patil, who had defected from the Congress, met Prakash Ambedkar, president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), in Akola.
Marathi media reported that Ambedkar has advised Vishal Patil to file his candidature from the VBA.
MVA without VBA
After today’s press conference by the INDIA leaders of Maharashtra, it is clear that Ambedkar’s VBA will not be a part of the opposition alliance in the state.
The VBA’s support was deemed crucial for the MVA, as the Ambedkar-led party had allegedly managed to cut into the Congress-NCP votes during the 2019 polls.
Calculations suggest that in nine out of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, the VBA candidate won more votes than the margin of victory.
Also read: Who Is Responsible For The Failure of MVA-VBA Alliance in Maharashtra?
This was the reason many leaders wanted Ambedkar to be a part of the MVA, but as the seat-sharing pact shows, there is no place for the VBA in the opposition alliance.
Speaking about the VBA, Uddhav Thackeray said: “We have tried our best to make this Maha Vikas Aghadi as broad as possible. I want to thank the other small parties who have come with us. Because these other parties have added to the strength that we are raising to save the constitution of the country.
“We were hoping that Prakash Ambedkar would also come with us, we had offered him some seats. But unfortunately that was not possible. We have already made our position clear that we won’t respond to any criticism by Ambedkar against us, because we had love and respect for him and this respect continues even today.”
Focus on defeating BJP: Alliance goals
At the heart of the MVA’s electoral strategy lies a singular objective: the defeat of the BJP and its allies. Leaders from all three coalition partners have reiterated their commitment to this overarching goal, transcending individual interests and differences for the sake of broader political consolidation.
