The political scene in Maharashtra is seeing progress as the Opposition moves closer to a solution. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, made up of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is expected to finalize a seat-sharing agreement after much negotiation. This comes just after Congress released its candidate list for Jharkhand.
A crucial meeting will be held in Mumbai with major leaders attending, including Uddhav Thackeray from Shiv Sena, Ramesh Chennithala from Congress, and Sharad Pawar, leader of the NCP. Sharad Pawar has been instrumental in resolving the recent disagreements between the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), who were in a deadlock over the distribution of seats. Both parties had paused internal meetings due to differences, but Pawar’s efforts brought them back to the negotiation table.
The main issue was about seat allocation. Congress was seeking 125 seats, while Shiv Sena (UBT) aimed for 100 seats each for itself and Congress, leaving 88 for NCP. There was also tension over some seats in Vidarbha, where Congress has a strong hold. However, thanks to Pawar’s behind-the-scenes efforts, Congress appeared more flexible, with senior leader Balasaheb Thorat stepping in to negotiate in place of Nana Patole.
This seat-sharing agreement is expected to be a major political development, especially for Congress, which performed well in the Lok Sabha elections. All eyes are on whether the party secures a favorable deal.
Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the opposition is making progress as well. Congress announced 21 candidates on Monday, resolving some of the earlier disputes over seat allocation with its ally, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Of the 70 seats agreed upon, JMM holds 41 and Congress has 29. A final deal is expected to allocate 42 seats to JMM, 30 to Congress, and the remaining to smaller allies like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(ML). The full details should be finalized by Tuesday.
