Maharashtra: Congress seeks seat distribution based on Lok Sabha results
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—an alliance of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP)—is in talks over seat-sharing for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. However, negotiations have hit a snag as Congress leaders are adamant on distributing constituencies according to each party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. Two senior Congress leaders said their party's success in winning 13 out of 17 contested seats has changed the "seat equation" among allies.
Congress's strong Lok Sabha performance influences seat-sharing talks
According to reports, Congress leaders have said that their party had the best strike rate among the three allies in the Lok Sabha elections. This has triggered a tussle with Shiv Sena (UBT) over who gets the lion's share of seats for the assembly polls. "Our strike rate and tally is the best among three allies," one leader said. The NCP(SP) won eight out of 10 contested seats while Sena (UBT) won nine out of 21 in these elections.
Congress proposes seat distribution formula for assembly elections
The Congress has suggested that a distribution of 115-120 seats would be an acceptable formula for the upcoming elections. This comes in light of the perceived weakening dominance of Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra, as seen from their Lok Sabha election performance. "It is clear from the Lok Sabha elections that the Sena (UBT)'s domination in Maharashtra has weakened," a Congress leader said.
Allies yet to decide on 23 closely contested seats
The Congress has also made it clear it wants a lion's share of the 23 seats that were hotly contested in the 2019 assembly elections. However, both NCP(SP) and Sena (UBT) are also eyeing these seats. In the 2019 elections, the undivided Shiv Sena won 56 seats, Congress 44, and undivided NCP 54. The final call on seat-sharing is likely to be taken before Dussehra.
