All are equal stakeholders, says Raut as MVA allies hint at hard bargaining for Maharashtra Assembly seats

Mumbai/ Pune: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday stressed that all are equal stakeholders in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Raut's comment came after a NCP (SP) leader quoted party supremo Sharad Pawar as saying that although his outfit contested fewer Lok Sabha seats, the situation would be different in the Maharashtra assembly polls.

Talking to reporters, Raut said seat-sharing talks have not commenced among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies for the Maharashtra assembly polls scheduled later this year.

"Seat-sharing talks have not yet commenced - neither with the NCP (SP) nor the Congress. So the question of who will contest how many seats doesn't arise. All are equal stakeholders," he said.

In the recently Lok Sabha polls, the Uddav Thackeray-led outfit had got the lion's share of seats in the MVA, which also includes the NCP (SP) and the Congress. The MVA won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, with the Congress emerging as the top party with 13 wins.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the strike rate of NCP (SP) was the highest as it won eight of the 10 seats it contested, while Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine of 21 seats, but it was the most targeted party by the opponents, Raut claimed.

He said the Shiv Sena (UBT) lost two-three seats by a thin margin or else its strike rate too would have been better. The Congress won 13 of the 17 seats its contested, while a rebel from the party won the Sangli seat, where the official MVA candidate was from the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Of the three MVA parties, NCP (SP) strike rate was 80 per cent, the Congress' strike rate was 75 per cent, while that of the Shiv Sena (UBT), which contested the maximum number of seats, was just 41 per cent.

On Friday, Pawar held two meetings in Pune, one with the party's functionaries from Pune city and district, and another with its MLAs and newly-elected MPs.

City NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap, who attended the first meeting, said Pawar told the gathering that the party contested fewer seats in the Lok Sabha polls just to ensure the alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress remained intact.

"He indicated that the picture in the assembly polls will be different," said Jagtap.

After the Lok Sabha poll results, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole had said his party expects a good seat-sharing deal in the assembly polls.

"There are 288 (assembly) seats (in Maharashtra). There will be no shortage of seats for anyone. Everyone will contest comfortably," Raut said.

He said the MVA contested the Lok Sabha polls unitedly and showed to the world how Maharashtra stopped the BJP from getting a full majority.