Amol Kolhe’s Comments Ignite Rift in MVA Alliance, Wadettiwar Blames Seat-Sharing Delay for Poor Assembly Results

The deepening fissures within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance have become apparent following its disappointing electoral performance in the recently conducted Maharashtra assembly elections. Six weeks after the Mahayuti government took power with a majority in Maharashtra, political parties are now shifting their focus to the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections.

Amol Kolhe, a leader from the National Congress Party (NCP-SP), sparked a fresh political controversy with his remarks about the MVA’s state. In a speech intended to motivate party workers after the MVA’s defeat in the Assembly elections, Kolhe criticized both Congress and the Thackeray faction. “The Thackeray faction is yet to wake up from its slumber. The Congress party’s broken back is still not ready to straighten. However, we have Sharad Pawar, a leader who fights. There is significant space in the opposition, so if we survive, we can fight more battles," said Kolhe. 

Kolhe’s comments quickly drew sharp reactions, particularly from Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar. In response, Wadettiwar advised Kolhe to focus on his own party’s issues rather than commenting on the alliance. He said, "Amol Kolhe should focus on his own party instead of making comments about allies."

Meanwhile, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar has alleged delay of seat sharing and did not get much time for campaigning leading to poor results in assembly elections.

Wadettiwar said, "Nana Patole and Sanjay Raut were present during discussions, and so were we. If the seat-sharing deadlock had been resolved in two days, we would have had 18 days for campaigning and planning. But we couldn’t plan anything," Wadettiwar remarked.

Wadettiwar further added, "The delay in seat-sharing and failure to draft a joint election program is one of the major reasons for poor performance. Meetings scheduled for 11am started at 2 p.m. due to late arrivals by some leaders. Twenty days were wasted. Was this a conspiracy? It raises serious doubts."

In response to Wadettiwar’s allegations, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut acknowledged there were disagreements over seat-sharing but dismissed any suggestions of foul play. "Yes, there was a disagreement between Nana Patole and me. Congress wanted more seats but ended up winning fewer. We secured victory in 20 seats. The delay in seat-sharing is the main issue, and there’s no point in debating this now," Raut stated, refusing to comment further.