The ongoing seat-sharing talks between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies hit a snag on Thursday as discussions remained unresolved over the allocation of 28 crucial seats. Despite the MVA partners reaching a consensus on 260 seats, according to sources from the alliance, the deadlock persists, particularly in regions like Mumbai and Vidarbha.
The MVA allies, comprising Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena (UBT), have struggled to finalize the allocation of seats in key constituencies, such as Ramtek, Chandrapur, Tumsar, Daryapur, and Arjuni-Morgaon in Vidarbha, as well as Sindkheda in North Maharashtra, and Parli, Gevrai, and Udgir in Marathwada. These areas remain contentious, with both Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) showing a reluctance to compromise on their strongholds.
According to FPJ sources, discussions over four to five crucial seats in Mumbai were also deferred due to the absence of key leaders from the city. In total, the MVA meeting, held at a five-star hotel in Bandra-Kurla Complex, lasted over nine hours. Those present included Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Chief Nana Patole, senior Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Vijay Wadettiwar, and Satej Patil, as well as NCP (SP) State President Jayant Patil, and party leaders Anil Deshmukh, Jitendra Awhad, and Rajesh Tope. Shiv Sena (UBT) was represented by MPs Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, NCP leader Anil Deshmukh said, “Discussions are still pending on 10 percent of the seats. There will be another meeting today to finalize the seat distribution.” He also hinted that disagreements between Congress and Shiv Sena leaders contributed to the delay in reaching a final decision.
The MVA’s first candidate list was initially expected to be announced on October 18. However, Congress State President Nana Patole clarified that complete seat distribution would likely be finalized by October 18-19, meaning the alliance is set to miss the initial deadline.
In Mumbai, the fight over key seats reflects not only local political dynamics but also the shifting landscape after Congress’s unexpected loss to the BJP in Haryana’s recent elections. Some of the contentious seats in Mumbai include Byculla, Versova, Dharavi, and Jogeshwari East, which have become points of contention between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT). Together, Mumbai and Vidarbha account for 98 of Maharashtra’s 288 assembly seats.
Another round of talks, including discussions with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP leader Sharad Pawar, is scheduled to resolve the remaining issues. In the meantime, the Congress is eyeing 110-120 seats, while Shiv Sena (UBT) is looking for 90-100 seats, and NCP (SP) is aiming for 80 seats.
There was also reported discontent from Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi, though this was reportedly settled after allocating him the Govandi and Bhiwandi seats.
The MVA is expected to hold a joint press conference addressing voter list discrepancies and seat-sharing issues. As per reports, the leaders will raise the issue of missing names from the voter list before the Election Commission on Friday morning, followed by a press briefing at 12 pm.