LS elections 2024: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Tuesday announced that its seat-sharing arrangement has been finalised for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. As per this deal, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest on 21 seats whereas the Congress will fight elections on 17 seats, news agency ANI reported.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) will be in the electoral fray from 10 seats. Shiv Sena (UBT) has managed to retain the Sangli seat whereas NCP (Sharad Pawar) has got Bhiwandi. The Congress will also contest from the Mumbai North seat, traditionally retained by the Shiv Sena.
Inside the MVA seat-sharing arrangement
Congress:
NCP (Sharad Pawar):
Shiv Sena (UBT):
Uddhav Thackeray on seat-sharing, Narendra Modi
After the seat-sharing was announced, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said winnability should be given priority."Everybody has wish to fight seats. There is nothing wrong in it. Winnability should be given priority," Thackeray said.
The former Maharashtra CM also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling Shiv Sena (UBT) "fake Sena". "He (Modi) has not been able to give leadership on principles. He is coming from outside and saying we are fake Sena," he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) on electoral bonds issue
Thackeray also took a jibe at the BJP on the electoral bonds issue as it called the saffron party and its allies the "vasooli Sena". "They have raided people and taken money from in electoral bonds. Bharatiya Janta party and with them is vasooli Sena. They have opened a washing machine. Daag ache hai washin powder with them," Uddhav Thackeray said.
Nana Patole attacks PM Modi on Muslim League remark
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that we have to fight dictatorship, while adding that party workers should show a big heart to defeat the BJP. "They are referring to our alliance as Muslim League. They are scared. Vote transfer will happen. We have original NCP and Sena with us," Patole commented on PM Modi's jibe at the grand old party.
Recently, Modi said the Congress manifesto for general polls has an imprint of the Muslim League, responsible for the partition of India. "Congress issued a bundle of lies in its manifesto... every page reeks of attempts to tear India apart. It reflects the thoughts the Muslim League had before independence," Modi said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur.
Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections schedule
The Lok Sabha polls will be held in the state in five phases from April 19 to May 20. In the first phase on April 19, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, and Chandrapur will go to polls. Constituencies such as Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, and Parbhani will vote in the second phase on April 26.
Raigad, Baramati, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Kolhapur will vote in the third phase to be held on May 7. For the fourth phase, polling will be held across Nandurbhar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Beed, and Shirdi on May 13.
Voting shall be held in Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South and Mumbai South-Central in the final phase on May 20. Counting of votes will take place on June 4.