Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole during a joint press conference of Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead of the state Assembly elections, in Mumbai, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: A day after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi announced the 85-85-85 seat-sharing formula, the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) seems to be looking at a target of 100-plus seats.
The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), however, has maintained a silence on the issue.
Some swapping of seats among the three major MVA allies is also expected.
“We decided (the seat-sharing) not on figures, but on merit. Congress will get more… between 100 and 105 seats… in Vidarbha itself, we are planning to contest 42 to 43 seats," Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut indicated that his party could get 100 seats.
"We have come close to scoring a century. We will hit two-three sixers. We scored 85 and the match is still on. We will score the remaining runs," Raut said.
Besides, there will be some corrections in the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s first list of 65 candidates, he added.
Meanwhile, to a question on Chief Ministership, state Congress President Nana Patole said, "Our first responsibility is to bring our government to power. Then our party high-command will make a decision. We want to protect Maharashtra."
The MVA had announced a deal of 85-85-85 seats for the elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly while it allotted 18 seats to smaller allies even as discussions were underway on remaining 15 seats among the three parties.
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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