With just over two weeks remaining before the start of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the two alliances in Maharashtra—Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—have yet to reach an agreement on the seat-sharing arrangement. Disagreements over seat allocation have caused tensions within both alliances, resulting in a delay in the finalisation of candidate lists by the participating parties.
The 'Mahayuti' Dilemma
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is facing challenges in finalising candidates for 12 crucial Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra.
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The South Mumbai constituency has become a point of contention between the BJP and the Shiv Sena-led by Eknath Shinde. The BJP is considering nominating either Speaker Rahul Narwekar or senior minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha for this seat. However, the Chief Minister's faction within the Shiv Sena is pushing for an intense Shiv Sena versus Shiv Sena (UBT) battle in this constituency, citing previous successes.
Another constituency causing friction between the BJP and the Shinde faction is Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. The BJP is advocating for Union Minister Narayan Rane to contest from this seat, but Rane has cited health concerns and opposes the idea. Meanwhile, Kiran Samant, a prominent figure in the Shinde faction, is eager to contest from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Rane has requested Shinde to withdraw his aspirations for the seat in favor of Samant.
In another development, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, who is associated with Shinde's faction, submitted his nomination for the Buldana seat without the party leadership's approval. This move reportedly displeased Shinde, who subsequently requested Gaikwad to withdraw his nomination, citing the party's official endorsement of Prataprao Jadhav for the ticket.
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In addition to Buldana, the Mahayuti alliance is grappling with finalising candidates for several other constituencies, including Nashik, Satara, Thane, Osmanabad, and Palghar. Furthermore, candidates have not yet been announced for Parbhani, Aurangabad, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North Central, Raigad, Shirur, Kalyan, and Yavatmal-Washim constituencies.
The past few months have seen a growing momentum in alliance discussions between the BJP, the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) under the leadership of Raj Thackeray.
Thackeray met Home Minister Amit Shah on March 24 along with his son Amit Thackeray, held a slew of meetings with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Eknath Shinde after his return to Mumbai on receiving a green signal from Delhi. The BJP-MNS alliance, however, is yet to be announced officially
The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi's Unrest
In the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the coalition partners have reached a consensus on nearly 40 seats. However, discontent surfaced within the MVA when Uddhav Thackeray unilaterally announced the allocation of the Sangli seat, leading to dissatisfaction from the Congress and hinting at fractures within the alliance.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent discussions with Uddhav Thackeray reflect the parties' overlapping interests in specific seats, indicating a potential alignment or coordination between the grand old party and the Shiv Sena within the MVA alliance.
The Bhiwandi Lok Sabha seat remains a key point of dispute among members of the MVA alliance. Historically a Congress stronghold until 2014, it has now seen the emergence of BJP's Kapil Patil. While Congress wishes to reclaim its traditional turf, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is also actively lobbying for the Bhiwandi seat, leading to internal tensions within the alliance.
In addition to the tensions over seat allocations within the MVA, there were reports of Congress' Sanjay Nirupam aspiring to contest from Mumbai North West, a seat allocated to the Shiv Sena by the alliance.
Additionally, discussions have surfaced regarding seat allocations for Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA), which was brought into the MVA at the Shiv Sena's urging. The VBA has been pressing for seats from the Sena’s share, citing its contribution to the MVA's performance in the 2019 elections. The party has shown interest in contesting from Akola in Vidarbha and Solapur in western Maharashtra.
Currently, there is a tentative agreement on seat distribution, with the Congress, Shiv Sena, and NCP provisionally allocated 15, 16 (including one for the VBA), and nine seats, respectively.
Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections
Following Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra holds considerable political significance, contributing 48 members to the lower House, the second-highest representation among all states.
The forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra will unfold across five phases, with voting scheduled from April 19 to May 20. The results are slated to be announced on June 4.
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