The seat allocation process for the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition hit a snag in Vidarbha and some areas of Mumbai, leading to intense discussions between Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Congress. Today, the Congress election committee held a meeting in Delhi, attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and other leaders, including Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chenniathla, state president Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat, and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad.
After the meeting, Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala provided updates on the coalition's seat allocation process. "Tomorrow (October 22) at 3 PM, a meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi will take place in Mumbai. There will also be a CEC meeting on the 25th. The seat allocation will be finalized after these meetings." he said.
Regarding discussions held during the meeting, Chenniathla said, "Today, the election committee discussed 63 seats. The final list will be provided to the media. Tomorrow, we will discuss with our coalition partners in Mumbai and announce the final list."
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The Maha Vikas Aghadi is facing disputes over 7-8 seats among Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Congress, and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party. There have been claims from two of the three parties in several constituencies. According to Opposition Leader Vijay Vadettiwar, many disputes have been resolved, leaving only 7-8 seats in contention.
Final decisions regarding these seats are expected to be made at the Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting on Tuesday (October 22).
The Election Commission last Tuesday announced that Maharashtra will vote in one phase on November 20 to elect its 288-member Assembly. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced at a press conference here that the counting of votes for the polls in the two states will be held on November 23, a day before the current Maharashtra Assembly completes its term.