Maharashtra Polls: MVA 'Finalises' Seat-Sharing Agreement; Uddhav's Shiv Sena, Congress And Sharad Pawar's NCP To Contest 85 Seats Each

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Wednesday (23 October) released the names of 65 candidates, announcing that the MVA seat-sharing arrangement for the Maharashtra elections had been finalised.

After weeks of intensive negotiations, the three main Maha Vikas Aghadi allies – Shiv Sena UBT, Congress, and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – settled on a formula where each would contest 85 seats, bringing the total to 255.

The remaining 33 out of the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra will be allocated to smaller MVA allies or possibly redistributed among the major partners.

The announced candidate list, however, may still be subject to changes.

At the press conference held on Wednesday evening, Sena UBT's Sanjay Raut and Congress's Nana Patole made the announcement.

"Our final meeting with Pawar Saheb has ended. He told us to tell the media that MVA's seat-sharing has ended well. We have finalised it in the 85-85-85 formula. That would take us to 270. Then the rest of the 18 seats will be given to the friends," Sanjay Raut said, NDTV reported.

Nana Patole repeated the same message in Hindi.

When reporters highlighted that the 85-seat formula only totals 255, not 270, Sena leader Anil Desai clarified, "We have to prepare for filling the form and AB form has to be given, so an agreement has been made on 85-85-85. The rest will be given to small friendly parties after some discussion. Whatever remains will be divided among us."

The MVA allies reconvened on Wednesday after a marathon meeting that stretched past midnight on Tuesday, with Sharad Pawar stepping in to mediate between Congress and Sena UBT over unresolved seat disputes in Mumbai, Nashik, and Vidarbha.

According to media reports, there was a lack of agreement on 15 seats, including key constituencies like South Nagpur, Amravati, Ghatkopar West, Byculla, Versova, and Kurla in Mumbai, along with Parola-Aerodual and Nashik West in North Maharashtra.

Differences also emerged over the distribution of seats, with Sena UBT pushing for 100 seats each for itself and Congress, leaving 88 for Pawar's NCP. However, buoyed by its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress was demanding 125 seats.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA secured 30 of Maharashtra’s 48 seats, with Congress contributing 13 to that tally.

The ruling NDA alliance secured 17 seats, while one seat was won by an Independent.

The voting for the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly election will be conducted in a single phase on 20 November, with counting scheduled to be held on 23 November.

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