Mumbai: As key parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance — Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction — get into a huddle in New Delhi to discuss the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prakash Ambedkar, chief of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has already proposed a “practical and conflict-free” formula.
Ambedkar Thursday wrote to Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, stating that they all should fight the Lok Sabha elections “together and on equal number of seats as equal partners”.
“I would like to reiterate that the 12+12+12+12 formula has been proposed to not only re-express our desire and interest in getting invited into the MVA and INDIA to unseat Narendra Modi, but to put an end to all disagreements over seat-sharing numbers within the MVA as well,” he stated. ThePrint has accessed a copy of the letter.
There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and Ambedkar’s formula proposes 12 seats each for the VBA, Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction.
The three key parties within the MVA have, however, responded by saying that seat-sharing will be decided by the top leaders at their meetings.
“In Delhi, top leaders Soniaji (Congress leader Sonia Gandhi), Uddhavji and Pawar saheb have already started talks on seat-sharing and in the next 8-10 days, things will be clearer,” Supriya Sule, Baramati MP from the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction, told the media Friday.
Earlier this year, the Shiv Sena UBT tied up with the VBA for elections, but despite that, the decision to induct the VBA into the INDIA bloc is pending.
Since then, the NCP has fragmented and its Ajit Pawar faction joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.
“Ambedkar has a reputation of making tall claims and asking for more. Let him ask, but that doesn’t mean we will give him 12 seats,” a senior Shiv Sena UBT leader told ThePrint. “It is simple, Prakash Ambedkar has no MP in the state. Other than him, no other leader from VBA has a sizable influence,” the leader further said.
Maharashtra Congress leaders met with the party’s Delhi leadership Friday to deliberate on the seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha polls.
A senior Congress leader who was part of the meeting told ThePrint that “the matter of whether to get Prakash Ambedkar onboard the INDIA alliance or not, and if yes, what would be the seat-sharing formula, is all part of discussions and will be decided shortly”.
ThePrint reach Ambedkar for comment via calls. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
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Seat-sharing for MVA ‘in two weeks’
While the MVA’s key parties are officially maintaining that seat-sharing will be decided by the top leadership, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena UBT told the media Friday that the party will contest on 23 seats.
“Even today, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is the number one party in Maharashtra. People are in full support of the Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar (NCP faction). The Congress is a national party. On the issue of seat-sharing, there is no conflict among the MVA allies. We have demanded 23 seats because the Shiv Sena has always fought on 23 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. We have been talking to Delhi Congress leaders about seat-sharing,” said Raut.
Although Maharashtra Congress leader Milind Deora has opposed the Shiv Sena UBT’s demand for 23 seats, Vijay Waddetiwar, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra assembly who is in Delhi meeting the Congress leadership, told the media that whatever is decided by the top bosses and within the INDIA bloc would be acceptable to all.
“Our MVA alliance is there and if we have to take anyone else as well, we, state leaders, will put forth our views. The bottom line is that we have to have a strong INDIA alliance. I will not give you any numbers and stake claim on the number of seats we will be fighting. Whatever will be decided in the INDIA meeting, we will accept that and start working towards it,” he said Friday.
According to leaders from all three MVA parties, the discussions on seat-sharing is ongoing and the picture is expected to be clear within two weeks.
Maharashtra seats are significant
Founded by Prakash Ambedkar in 2018, the VBA contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
Although it didn’t win a single seat, the VBA garnered 14 percent of the total votes polled in the state, and reportedly dented the Congress’s prospects on at least seven seats.
While the VBA’s performance in the Maharashtra assembly election later that year was also lacklustre, the Congress blamed the party for its losses in at least 25 seats.
The VBA has been waiting on the sidelines to see if it is included within the MVA particularly and the INDIA bloc in general. If the seat-sharing formula does not work out, the party is even prepared to fight on all 48 seats in Maharashtra.
After Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra with 48 Lok Sabha seats is the state with the second highest number of parliamentarians and hence the stakes are high.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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