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Lok Sabha Election 2024: Shiv Sena, Congress, NCP Settle the Seat Sharing Deal in Maharashtra
The Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra on Tuesday finalized its seat-sharing equation for the all-important forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, settling on the distribution of the state's 48 seats. The alliance comprises the Shiv Sena, Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). According to senior leaders of the alliance, the Shiv Sena led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will contest on 21 seats, while the Congress and NCP will contest on 17 and 10 seats, respectively. The final seat-sharing settlement comes just 10 days ahead of the commencement of the general elections.
In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena will contest four out of six seats, including North West, South Central, South, and South East seats. The remaining two seats, North and North Central, will be contested by the Congress. This allocation of seats reflects the historical performance and stronghold of each party in the respective constituencies.
The resolution of disputes over seats such as Bhiwandi and Sangli, which multiple parties claimed, was critical to finalizing the agreement. Ultimately, these seats have been allotted to the NCP and Shiv Sena.
Key constituencies allocated to each party include Jalgaon, Parbhani, and Nashik for the Shiv Sena, Nandurbar and Dhule for the Congress, and Baramati and Shirur for the NCP. The alliance leaders expressed confidence in their electoral prospects and reiterated their commitment to upholding democratic principles and values.
Senior leaders of the alliance have stated that the coalition's collective goal is to defeat the BJP and its allies in the elections. They underscored the importance of unity and cooperation among the MVA constituents to achieve electoral success.
While the MVA has reached a consensus on seat allocation, discussions with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) did not yield a deal. Despite prolonged negotiations, disagreements persisted, leading to an impasse.
The Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra will be held in five phases, with the results on June 4. Alongside the national elections, the state will also witness Assembly elections later this year. The MVA's seat-sharing formula reflects its strategic approach to maximize electoral gains and consolidate opposition unity against the BJP.
