Maharashtra tug-of-war between Congress, MVA allies holds up LS seat pact

As the Congress announced its second list of candidates on Tuesday, there were no names from Maharashtra. With the Lok Sabha poll schedule expected to be announced in a few days, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is still struggling to wrap up seat-sharing allegedly because of a lack of coordination between the Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

According to Congress insiders, the talks are stuck because the others in the alliance and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) of Prakash Ambedkar. which is in talks with the MVA, have staked claim on seats the party wants. According to the VBA, the differences between the Congress and the other parties extend to at least 15 constituencies.

Alliance insiders with knowledge of the status of the talks said that the Congress’s share of seats has come down to 16-18 constituencies, the lowest ever. In 2019, the Congress’s share was 26 constituencies and it contested 25, giving Palghar to the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi. Despite several rounds of talks, the MVA parties have not been able to reach a consensus.

On Monday, well-known wrestler Chandrahar Patil from west Maharashtra’s Sangli district joined the Shiv Sena (UBT) at former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s residence “Matoshree” in Mumbai. Patil thanked Thackeray for “giving him the ticket” from the Sangli Lok Sabha and promised him a victory. Thackeray, in a veiled remark, said, “Who am I to give candidature to anyone if the people of Sangli have decided?”

There is now uneasiness among the Congress leadership as, with these remarks, Thackeray has staked claim on yet another Congress seat after Mumbai North West. Sangli used to be a Congress bastion. The party lost it for the first time after Independence in 2014 when the BJP