The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the opposition alliance in Maharashtra, has reportedly finalized its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections covering all 48 seats in the state. According to sources, the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, is set to contest 20 seats, while the Congress will vie for 18 seats. The remaining 10 seats will be fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar.
In a noteworthy development, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a regional party that initially sought five seats, will be allocated two seats from the Shiv Sena's quota. Additionally, an independent candidate, Raju Shetty, will receive backing from Pawar's NCP. It is also suggested that the Shiv Sena may contest four out of the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, with a possibility of allocating one seat, potentially the Mumbai North East constituency, to the VBA.
On Thursday, the State Congress chief Nana Patole, along with senior party leader Balasaheb Thorat and former CM Prithviraj Chavan, convened at Sharad Pawar's residence in Silver Oak to conclude the agreement. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad confirmed that discussions pertaining to the Lok Sabha elections have concluded, indicating that no further meetings are anticipated on the matter.