Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut announced on Wednesday that 99 percent of the work on the Maha Vikas Aghadi's seat-sharing arrangement has been finalized. He stated that leaders of the three alliance parties are likely to reveal the formula later in the day. Raut also hinted that his party could contest 100 seats in the upcoming elections.
Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are set for November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. Late Tuesday night, top leaders of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP), met to finalize the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming assembly elections. After initial talks between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress faced a stalemate, senior state Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat held separate meetings with NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday to resolve the issues.
Raut on Wednesday said, "Ninety nine per cent work on seat-sharing has been completed. By today evening, leaders of the three parties will hold a press conference." "Shiv Sena (referring to his faction led by Uddhav Thackeray) is an experienced player, so it has to hit a century. There are expectations of people that Sena should hit a century in seats and overall victory," he said.