Shiv Sena (UBT) wants more seats than Congress to ‘shut up BJP,’ says Uddhav

MUMBAI: The results of the recently held Lok Sabha elections have changed the equation in the opposition-led coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), with both the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) keen on contesting the maximum seats in the upcoming assembly polls. It is against this backdrop that the recent three-day visit of Uddhav Thackeray to New Delhi is significant: Congress insiders revealed that the Sena (UBT) chief is leaving no stone unturned to make his plan fructify. The MVA allies, meanwhile, are trying to work out a formula that will be acceptable to all three parties in the coalition.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 21 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the highest number in the MVA coalition, as it had won 18 seats in the 2019 polls as the undivided Shiv Sena. However, it could win only nine of these. The Congress, on the other hand, contested 17 seats and won 13, where in 2019 it could win only one seat of the 25 it contested. The NCP (SP) too won eight of the ten seats it fought.
Going by these calculations, the Congress is set to pitch for the highest number of seats in the alliance, as it has also become the number one party in the state. “It is not about the numbers game,” said a senior Congress leader. “The poll results have shown that the people favoured the Congress more than any other party, and that needs to be respected by giving us the most seats. Such a decision will also be beneficial for the coalition, bearing in mind which way the wind is blowing.”
But politics is not about two-plus-two-equals-four. The Shiv Sena (UBT) also has its own reasons to seek more seats than the Congress. “Thackeray is of the view that his party should be allowed to contest more seats than the Congress even if the difference in the number is two to three seats,” said a Congress insider. “It will be a face-saver for the Sena (UBT), help it counter the BJP’s narrative that Thackeray surrendered to the Congress and help it contest the polls against the BJP more vigorously.”
The Congress is seeking not less than 115 seats. The party is believed to be in the best position in 110 seats, and its central leadership has already told its state leaders not to compromise on seats they are sure of winning. According to MVA insiders, the Sena (UBT) will contest the highest number of seats in Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Konkan region. Similarly, the Congress and NCP (SP) will contest maximum seats in Vidarbha and western Maharashtra respectively. In North Maharashtra, the Congress and NCP are likely to get a larger share while in Marathwada, the allocation of seats will be almost equal in all three parties.
The Sena (UBT) also wants the MVA to declare Thackeray the chief ministerial face of the coalition, which has already been rejected by the Congress and NCP (SP). “Our alliance is our collective face. We don’t believe in one person’s face. Collective leadership is our formula,” said Pawar, responding to the Sena (UBT)’s demand.
It is against this background that Thackeray undertook a three-day Delhi tour for political networking with INDIA block leaders. He met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and tried to establish a personal rapport with the central leadership of Congress, which is likely to help him get direct access to resolve issues.
On Thursday, the last day of his tour, Thackeray visited the residence of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to meet his wife and family members and express solidarity. “We are all united in fighting against forces that want to destroy the fabric of Bharat that is India. The central agencies are targeting Arvind Kejriwalji because BJP fears him,” said Aaditya Thackeray in a social media post after the meeting.
According to party leaders, Thackeray, in his meetings with Congress leaders and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, conveyed his view that the seat-sharing negotiations should conclude by the end of August or the first week of September so that new candidates could start preparation and the MVA could get enough time to resolve local issues. The three big parties in the MVA could give around 20 seats to the small parties in the alliance like the CPI (M), Samajwadi Party and others.