NEW DELHI: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has finalised the seat-sharing arrangement for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 21 seats, Congress 17, and NCP (SP) 10, as announced by Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday, April 9. Notably, the Congress party did not secure the Sangli, Mumbai South Central, or Bhiwandi seats in the agreement.
During a joint press conference, which also featured Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar stated that all differences regarding seat allocation had been resolved. “The seat-sharing was declared after reaching a mutual consensus,” he said.
The consensus was reached following intense negotiations among the alliance partners, with huge attention given to two contentious Mumbai seats—Mumbai North West and Mumbai South Central. The prolonged discussions also extended to an equal number of seats in other districts.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership, has obtained the largest share of seats, with the Congress and NCP following.
READ : Shiv Sena (UBT) releases 17 candidates for Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha
During the discussion on seat sharing formula many senior Congress leaders voiced discontent with the proposed seat distribution, insisting on no less than 18 seats for the party and questioning the logic behind the allocation of specific constituencies.
The negotiations further underscored the contention for the Sangli and Kolhapur constituencies. Sangli, a traditional Congress bastion, became a bone of contention as the Sena (UBT) expressed a strong desire to contest there, especially after recruiting the popular wrestler Chandrahar Patil. Despite these ambitions, the Congress did not receive the Sangli, Mumbai South Central, or Bhiwandi seats in the seat-sharing pact.
The MVA successfully convinced Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, a descendant of the revered Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, to run as a Congress candidate. Nevertheless, the Sena (UBT) had its sights set on the Kolhapur seat, which ultimately went to Congress.