Seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra between the three constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) - the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) - have reached a deadlock. The main points of contention are the seats of Ramtek, Jalna, Wardha, Buldhana, Akola, Washim-Yavatmal, Amravati, Osmanabad, Solapur, and Satara.
The Congress is demanding the Ramtek seat, which is currently held by the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). The NCP is demanding the Wardha seat, which is currently held by the Congress. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) is demanding the Jalna seat, which is currently held by the NCP. The three parties have been unable to reach a consensus on these seats, and the talks have been deadlocked for several days.
Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar discuss seat-sharing.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a telephonic conversation on Thursday to discuss the seat-sharing deadlock. The two leaders discussed the various options available to the MVA, and they agreed to continue the talks in the coming days.
Prakash Ambedkar demands clarity on seat-sharing.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar has demanded that the MVA release a list of the seats that have been allotted to each party within two days. Ambedkar said that the VBA is a part of the MVA, and it has a right to know which seats have been allotted to it. The MVA has not yet responded to Ambedkar's demand.