The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) were at loggerheads over 12 seats in Vidarbha and Nashik
Mumbai: After much hue and cry throughout the Sunday, the conflict between the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies over seat sharing was sorted out when NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar swung in the action to mediate. Pawar gave earful to Congress as well as Shiv Sena (BBT) leaders virtually forcing them to sit on a table. A joint press conference is likely to take place on Monday to announce the seat sharing of three parties.
After Saturday’s nine-hour-long marathon meeting at Trident Hotel, the MVA leaders were far ahead from the consensus even on Sunday. The bone of contention was crucial seats in the Vidarbha region. The standoff has intensified, with leaders of the Thackeray faction reportedly approaching the Congress high command in Delhi. The Thackeray faction has called for an emergency meeting at Matoshree, where party chief Uddhav Thackeray discussed the course of action in length.
At the heart of the disagreement was the allocation of crucial seats in regions such as Vidarbha, Mumbai and Nashik. One of the key flashpoints is Nashik West, where the Thackeray faction has been pushing for Sudhakar Badgujar’s candidacy. However, the Congress remains adamant on fielding its candidate. The situation escalated during the late-night meeting, as Congress leader Nana Patole’s insistence on Nashik West reportedly led to a walkout by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
Vidarbha has emerged as another significant battleground during the seat-sharing talks. The Thackeray faction has staked claim on 12 key seats, including prominent constituencies such as Armori, Chimur and Ramtek. These are currently held by either the BJP or independent candidates, and the Thackeray faction argues that as these seats are not currently held by MVA incumbents, our claim is justified. However, the Congress has been unwilling to concede several of these seats.
According to sources, both Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders directly approached NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to mediate and resolve the differences in the opposition alliance. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Anil Parab and Aaditya Thackeray met Pawar at Y.B. Chavan Centre. Senior Congress leaders in Delhi were also in constant touch with Pawar.
Finally, Pawar swung into action and summoned leaders of both Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) and scolded them. He made them aware of the consequences of the possible split. Sena pleaded that during the Lok Sabha election, their party gave its Ramtek and Amravati seats to the Congress. The party now wants more seats in the Assembly polls as part of the MVA alliance. Shiv Sena (UBT) has claimed a total of 12 seats in the Vidarbha region. The party is arguing that there are no existing MLAs from MVA on these 12 seats. Congress leaders vociferously opposed this demand.
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