AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala and state Congress Committee President Nana Patole during a state level party meeting.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday amid a stalemate among Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents over seat-sharing for the upcoming Maharastra polls.
The AICC in-charge, however, downplayed the visit, saying he met Thackeray to inquire about his health.
The MVA and the ruling Mahayuti are yet to declare their much-awaited seat-sharing pact. The elections to the 288-member state assembly will be held on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23.
Earlier on Friday, MPCC president Patole said there was a stalemate in the MVA over 25 to 30 assembly seats and maintained the party's state unit would abide by any decision its high command takes.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting at Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Bandra, Chennithala downplayed his visit, saying he had come to meet Thackeray to inquire about his health as the Sena (UBT) leader had been hospitalised a few days ago.
Chennithala was accompanied by Congress leaders Naseem Khan and Bhai Jagtap, and Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut, who has been critical of Patole, was also present.
"The MVA will contest the assembly elections unitedly, and the seat-sharing talks will be held in the presence of Patole, NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil and Shiv Sena UBT's Sanjay Raut," he said.
The seat-sharing talks will take place in the afternoon, he said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Raut said, "Chennithala is a senior leader of Congress. We have discussed various issues regarding seat sharing, and he met Thackeray also." He said the Congress leader met Thackeray to discuss seats that have not been finalised.
Thackeray on Friday cautioned that haggling among allies, particularly the Congress, must not be allowed to reach a breaking point, while Raut claimed that state Congress leaders were incapable of making decisions on the distribution of assembly constituencies.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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