The chief MVA allies, Congress, NCP-SP, Shiv Sena-UBT, VBA and other parties have held over six closed-door meetings to hammer out an amicable solution…reports Asian Lite News
A seat-sharing solution continues to elude the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) nearly a month into negotiations, with at least eight Lok Sabha seats remaining a sticking point among the allies, sources said on Thursday.
The chief MVA allies, the Congress, the NCP-SP, Shiv Sena-UBT, plus the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and other smaller parties have held over six closed-door meetings to hammer out an amicable solution.
Sources in the three parties say that though a broad agreement has been reached on around 40 of the 48 parliamentary constituencies, there is a tussle over eight seats, including four in Mumbai.
Party sources say that the final decision will be taken by the top leaders of the MVA constituents, implying state Congress President Nana Patole, NCP-SP’s supremo Sharad Pawar and SS-UBT’s Uddhav Thackeray.
The MVA allies are confident that they will work out a unanimously-acceptable formula by early March, well before the Lok Sabha election schedules are announced.
SS-UBT’s Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday that the VBA had submitted its letter which would be discussed, while Sharad Pawar said the MVA was keen to ensure the VBA’s participation in the Opposition bloc.
Several of the allies are privately irked by Ambedkar’s unilateral proposal to field Maratha leader and Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil as an MVA-backed Lok Sabha candidate from Jalna.
After a series of developments, the Maharashtra government has ordered a SIT probe against Jarange-Patil’s seven-month-long agitation for Maratha quotas and most Opposition parties have also started snubbing him.
Responding to the VBA’s proposal, Jarange-Patil claimed late on Wednesday night that the Maratha quota stir was not a personal political agenda and he had no interest in contesting the Lok Sabha polls.
Pawar invites Maha CM, Deputy CMs for dinner
Apparently throwing a political googly, Sharad Pawar has invited Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and both Deputy CMs, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, to his home in Baramati in Pune for dinner on Saturday.
The trio will visit Sharad Pawar’s stronghold Baramati for the NaMo Rojgar Fair in which thousands of unemployed people shall be given jobs, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Surprisingly, Sharad Pawar has not been invited for the event taking place in his backyard in a prestigious institution founded and headed by him, the Vidya Pratishthan.
However, his daughter and NCP-SP Working President and MP Supriya Sule and two other MPs, Vandana Chavan and Dr. Amol Kolhe plus other major leaders of different parties, figure on the invitation list.
This is the first mega-event of its kind to be graced by the CM and both Deputy CMs after the NCP suffered a vertical split in July 2023.
It is not clear whether Shinde-Fadnavis-Ajit will accept Sharad Pawar’s dinner invitation that has already created an embarrassing scenario for the ruling MahaYuti regime.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Supriya Sule said in a regretful tone that she and her colleague Chavan were invited, but her father Sharad Pawar’s name had been omitted, though he heads the institution where the mega-event is being held.
Another Pawar clan member, MLA Rohit R. Pawar and Sule’s nephew, slammed the government for not adhering to protocols and inviting Sharad Pawar for the official event.
“The government will splash money and make big promises to the youth in the name of jobs which they may not get…” said Rohit R. Pawar.
NCP-SP National General Secretary, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, also frowned at the developments, terming them as “not desirable especially when the function is being organised in the hometown of a nationally-respected leader like Sharad Pawar.”
The party’s National Spokesperson, Clyde Crasto, said this reveals the small mindset of the government and “their insecurity” in the presence of a national stalwart and astute political leader like Sharad Pawar.
Sharad Pawar, who founded the Vidya Pratishthan in 1972 is its current President while the committee members include his grand-nephew Yugendra S. Pawar, Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar and his wife Sunetra A. Pawar, among others.
VBA eyes 27 seats
Meanwhile, he Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Prakash Ambedkar is coveting 27 Lok Sabha seats where it has built up a strong base and wants a ticket for Maratha leader and Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil from Jalna.
The VBA submitted a proposal on the seats it claims are election-ready strongholds to the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) and other parties at its meeting on Wednesday.
Besides Jarange-Patil, it has sought the candidature of Dr. Abhijit Vaidya from Pune plus three minority nominees and at least 15 OBC contestants across the state, VBA Vice-President Dhairyavardhan H. Pundkar told mediapersons after emerging from the MVA meeting.
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