Congress’ Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole on Sunday dismissed reports of a discord with Shiv Sena (UBT), its alliance partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, on the issue of seat-sharing for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
"I am friends with Sanjay Raut. I don't understand why people create disputes between us," Patole told NDTV.
Reports of a rift between the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged after remarks by Patole and Sena leader Sanjay Raut.
Earlier this month, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that Congress leaders in Maharashtra were not capable of taking their own decisions and had to “depend on Delhi even for small matters”.
“If Sanjay Raut is controlling Uddhav Thackeray, that is their issue,” Patole had shot back.
Congress and Sena are both believed to be clamouring to reach the 100-mark in terms of the number of seats they contest in the 288-member Assembly. The MVA announced an initial seat-sharing of 85 seats each for the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar).
On Sunday, Patole said that discussions for 5-10 seats are still pending, and the issue will be resolved when the leaders gather again after October 30. He, however, dismissed reports of any rift within the alliance partners and maintained that seat-sharing talks progressed smoothly.
"Congress is a national party, and national parties have to handle things carefully. Regional parties have their demands and dreams of growth, which is acceptable. Congress played a crucial role in allocating seats based on merit, aiming for a majority government in Maharashtra. We are still working towards it," he said.
"Discussions for 5-10 seats are still pending, and we'll resolve this issue. After October 30, we'll gather again to find a solution. We have decided to contest elections as MVA. No conflicts arose during seat allocation. Efforts are continuing to resolve pending seat allocation issues," he added.
In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, Congress emerged on top with the highest number of seats in the state. However, its unexpected loss in Haryana resulted in allies getting more elbow room and preventing the grand old party from gaining an upper hand in terms of seats distribution.
Elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held on November 20 while the results will be declared on November 30.
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