Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, during his recent visit to poll-bound Maharashtra, announced candidates for five of the 12 seats his party has demanded from the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
SP's Maharashtra president, Abu Asim Azmi, met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Sunday to explain the party's decision to announce candidates for these seats, citing winnability and local dynamics. Azmi shared on X that Pawar had invited him to the MVA’s seat-sharing meeting scheduled for Monday.
The SP has declared its candidates for Dhule City, Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Bhiwandi East, Bhiwandi West, and Malegaon Central.
Despite demanding 12 seats, the SP had contested only four of them in 2019, winning two. The party contested five seats in 2014, securing one victory, and six in 2009, winning three. Additionally, in 2009, the SP secured the Nawapur ST-reserved seat. Over the past three elections, the SP's total contested seats have declined from 31 in 2009 to 22 in 2014, and just seven in 2019.
Of the 12 seats the SP has now demanded, Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar and Bhiwandi East are key priorities, as the party currently holds both. Azmi, a three-term MLA, represents Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, while Rais Shaikh narrowly won Bhiwandi East in 2019 by defeating the undivided Shiv Sena and Congress by a margin of just 1,314 votes. Although SP did not contest Bhiwandi West in the last two elections, it is demanding the seat now, having won it in 2009.
The SP is also eyeing Malegaon Central and Dhule City, both Muslim-majority constituencies with sitting AIMIM MLAs. The party argues that it has more influence among Muslim voters than AIMIM and believes it can win with the support of the Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena (UBT).
Among the remaining seats the SP has demanded is Byculla, currently held by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. The SP claims it has a strong local presence and extensive grassroots networks, especially given the seat's significant minority population. The party last contested Byculla in 2009, finishing sixth with a 3.19% vote share. Similarly, in Anushakti Nagar, where the NCP won in 2019, the SP believes that anti-incumbency and its strong minority base near its Mankhurd stronghold will work in its favor, even though it has not contested the seat in the last three elections.
Despite not contesting Versova in 2019, and finishing poorly in previous elections (seventh in 2014 and third in 2009), the SP is demanding the seat, citing its significant minority population, including both Muslims and Christians. The BJP has won the seat in the last two elections.
The SP has also requested Raver, Amravati (both Congress-held), and Karnaja (BJP-held), arguing that these seats' large minority populations and anti-incumbency trends could benefit the party. The SP did not contest these seats in the last three elections.
For Aurangabad East, where the party finished behind the BJP and AIMIM in 2019 with just 2.84% of the vote, no specific reasons were provided for its demand.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the SP contested only four of the 12 seats it now demands and won two. Statewide, it contested seven seats, securing a 10.77% vote share, though five of its candidates lost their deposits.
In 2014, the SP contested five of these seats and won only Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar. It fielded candidates in 22 constituencies across the state, gaining a vote share of just 2.54%, with 21 candidates losing their deposits.
The SP's best recent performance came in 2009 when it contested 31 seats, winning four, including Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Bhiwandi East, and Bhiwandi West, all of which are part of the current demand. The party also secured the Nawapur ST seat that year, earning 7.71% of the vote share across 31 constituencies.
The SP's decision to announce candidates before the MVA’s official seat-sharing arrangement seems to be a strategic move to pressure the alliance into accommodating its demands. A party leader noted that in past elections, the Congress-NCP alliances had delayed negotiations with the SP, often backtracking and leaving the party without candidates.
In 2019, the leader explained, the SP had requested seven seats but was offered only three by the Congress-NCP alliance. At the last moment, the Congress fielded its own candidate in Bhiwandi East, but the SP candidate ultimately won despite the Congress' resources and efforts. Similarly, in 2014, the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel had promised an alliance with the SP for seven seats, only to back out on nomination day, citing central leadership decisions.