MVA inches closer to seat-sharing deal in Maharashtra; calls another key meet on March 9 in Mumbai

Mumbai: With the announcement of Lok Sabha polls just days away, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra seems to be inching closer to a seat-sharing deal in the state. However, some exchange of seats and final touch-ups are being worked out.

A meeting of top MVA leaders from the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi held at at Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The allies are expected to meet again on 9 March in Mumbai.

On Thursday, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal is expected to be in Mumbai to finalise the arrangements of Maharashtra leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, during which state Congress President Nana Patole and others would brief the high command over the deliberations. 

The Congress, which leads the alliance, would grab the lion’s share of the seats.

“In the next meeting everything would be finalised,” Ambedkar said after leaving the meeting. However, earlier in the day, he had claimed that there were differences among the three MVA partners in 15 seats and a lot of adjustments and give and take is needed.

“When I met Thorat, I told him that there is a matter of 10 seats between Congress and Shiv Sena and five seats between NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena. He said the decision will be taken in Delhi. Instead of Mumbai, if the meeting takes place in Delhi, a solution can be found, I think,” he said after he had a one-on-one meeting with Thorat. 

Sanjay Raut, who was also present in the meeting, said, “We MVA had an important meeting. Prakash Ambedkar also joined us...We have decided to contest the election together in Maharashtra.”

Denying any differences within the MVA and with VBA, Raut said, “As far as seat-sharing is concerned, there are no differences among us. Almost everything has been decided .If needed, we would have another meeting.” 

"The meeting was good and we are hopeful that the results will also be the same,” said Thorat. 

Maharashtra accounts for 48 Lok Sabha seats.