NEW DELHI: Congress desires to have the highest seat share in the MVA alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
After the Congress party’s successful stint in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, being the only party winning seats in double digits, it is eyeing for the highest seat share among its constituent partners of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), out of the 288 Assembly seats.
There was an understanding between the major three parties of MVA, according to party insiders, that all the three parties will contest equal number of seats (96 each) in the upcoming Assembly elections. However, the idea seems to have been quashed after the Congress outnumbered its alliance partners by winning 13 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. The grand old party pocketed around 17% votes, higher than Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena’s (9) and Nationalist Congress party’s (8), and held a high strike rate in the 17 seats allotted to it by the MVA.
Currently, the notion that runs among the top brass of Congress suggests that the party wants to re-establish its political network across the state. The starting point would be the upcoming Assembly elections. The Congress, according to a leader privy to the developments, will seek at least 125 seats as its share within the MVA. Moreover, the number of Assembly segments that come under its 14 national lawmakers (the party won 13 in election and was later joined by one more independent) is more than 80 that establishes its rightful claim for 125 seats.
A senior leader said, “The Congress party won more than 45% of seats in the alliance. The remaining 55% were won by the other two MVA constituents. Therefore, according to the percentage, we should get 45% of Assembly seats which constitutes around 127 seats but we will not be rigid on that number. We will try to adjust to the needs of our alliance partners.”
Tipping the scale, the grand old party has made an announcement to prepare for all the seats to create pressure. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole recently said, “The party will prepare to contest from all seats in the upcoming state Assembly elections but will fight as per the seat sharing agreement with its alliance partners. It won’t be wrong if the party prepares to contest the elections from all seats as it should have its organisational structure and work everywhere.”
A Congress office bearer from Maharashtra said, “Last time in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress had an accommodative approach. Even though our alliance partner Shiv Sena led by Uddhav tried to push us down numerically in seat sharing matters, we accommodated all the tension. As our fight was with the bigger force (BJP) which was trying to run over every regional party and was pursuing dictatorial rule, we found it wise to reduce all kind of friction. This time we will seek what the Congress party deserves.”
Yet, all the party heads believe that their interests will best survive when the elections are contested together. A Congress leader said, “We were able to put up a strong fight in Lok Sabha elections only because of our unity. There was a firm message sent down to masses that all the three parties and its leaders are with each other. People accepted our alliance more when they saw three parties talking about the same issues, they liked confirmation from different parties about the misadventures of by the ruling government. All the leaders are of the opinion that the coming election should be fought together as well.”
Although the MVA partners will refrain from outlining its chief ministerial candidate, Congress leaders are of the belief that the grand old party will score higher number of seats than the other parties in Assembly elections as well and will throw its claim for the chief minister’s position if the alliance comes to power.