Sharad Pawar on MVA seat-sharing: 'Talks to conclude in 10 days, candidate selection will be...'

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar announced on Sunday that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will finalise its seat-sharing arrangements within the next 8 to 10 days for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. He emphasised that the opposition alliance, which includes the NCP (SP), Congress, and Shiv Sena (UBT), is determined to form the next government in the state "at any cost."

Speaking to party workers in Baramati, Pawar underlined that the primary criterion for selecting candidates will be their "winnability." He stressed that in coalition politics, compromises and a flexible approach are necessary, and that all three MVA partners must support each other’s candidates in the assembly elections. "You can’t contest all the seats and must allow the other two partners to field their candidates. We have to work together to form our own government," Pawar said.

Pawar also took aim at those who recently left the NCP, predicting that few, if any, would win in the upcoming state polls. He added that surveys are being conducted in each taluka to assess the best candidates for each seat, with party workers playing a key role in providing input.

Reflecting on the alliance's performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the MVA secured 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra (Congress 13, Shiv Sena UBT 9, and NCP SP 8), Pawar expressed confidence that the same level of commitment will be brought to the assembly elections. He urged party workers to maintain their efforts, stating that expectations are high following the Lok Sabha success.

Earlier this month, India Today reported that the MVA reached an initial seat-sharing consensus for around 120-130 constituencies. As per the agreement, the majority of the seats won by each party in the 2019 polls will be contested by the same parties. However, changes will be made for around 10 to 20 per cent of the seats.

In July, sources told India Today that Shiv Sena (UBT) was aiming to contest around 115 to 125 constituencies. In the 2019 Assembly polls, undivided Shiv Sena had contested 124 seats in the NDA, leaving 163 seats for BJP and other allies.

The assembly elections are expected to take place in mid-November.