After days of deliberation over a seat-sharing formula for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the opposition grouping -- Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -- struck a deal on Wednesday.
The MVA, which consists of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP(SP), announced that each of the three parties will contest 85 seats each, finalising the deal on 255 of the 288 seats in the state Assembly.
Discussion for the sharing of the remaining 33 seats is still underway.
Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut addressed a press conference in the evening, saying consensus has been reached on a total of 270 out of 288 seats. "We will include Samajwadi Party, PWP, CPI(M), CPI, and AAP. Discussions are still on for the remaining seats. We have amicably arrived at a consensus on 270 seats. MVA stands united to defeat the Mahayuti government," Raut said.
Congress' Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole said that the remaining seats will be given to the smaller parties.
Explaining the seat-sharing deal so far, Sena UBT leader Anil Desai said, "Three MVA constituents have arrived at a consensus on 85 seats each (totalling 255). Among the remaining 33 constituencies, the allies are discussing 18 seats among themselves, while the rest segments (15) will be allocated to smaller parties."
Given the bitter dispute between the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray's party, especially in the Vidarbha region and Mumbai, the seat-sharing discussions got dragged on for weeks.
Meanwhile, the Congress is not ready to give up the ground in the Vidarbha region because of its strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
And as the impasse continued, the restlessness within the opposition's minor parties, including Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Left parties, and the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), grew increasingly.
Notably, the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP demanded 12 seats from the MVA and declared candidates for five Assembly constituencies.
With the MVA having secured 31 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra during the recently held general elections, the smaller parties are keen to contest the Assembly polls under the INDIA bloc banner. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meanwhile won just 17 seats.
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Maharashtra goes to polls in a single phase on November 20 and the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on November 23.
In the 2019 Maharashtra elections, the BJP won 105 seats and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) 56. The NCP (undivided) -- a part of the UPA -- secured 54 seats and the Congress 44.
