Mumbai/Kolhapur, Feb 21 (IANS) The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies have agreed to share 39 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The remaining nine seats are expected to be finalized by the weekend. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar confirmed the developments in Kolhapur, which were endorsed by the other allies Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders in Mumbai.
While the allies have agreed on the number of seats to be shared, the specific constituencies to be contested by each ally have not been disclosed. There are indications on some seats, but there are also rumblings over certain constituencies and the actual number of seats each MVA partner should receive based on the 2019 outcome.
The political landscape in Maharashtra for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has become crowded, with multiple parties expected to be in the fray. Two major parties, the original Shiv Sena and the NCP, have split, adding to the confusion.
The MVA’s three main partners, along with their other constituents, the ruling MahaYuti alliance, Independents, and smaller parties, are all part of the crowded scenario. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 seats, the undivided Shiv Sena won 18, the undivided NCP won four, and the Congress, AIMIM, and an Independent each won one seat.
For the upcoming elections, both the divided Shiv Sena and NCP will contest as separate entities, with new and untested symbols. The specific constituencies each party will contest and the finalization of the remaining nine seats is eagerly awaited.
The political situation in Maharashtra is gearing up to be a highly contested and closely watched affair, as the MVA allies strategize and prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
