MVA's seat-sharing formula, candidates for LS polls to be declared in a day or two: Patole

Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi constituents Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday met to resolve the deadlock over some Lok Sabha seats.

The three parties met at opposition stalwart Sharad Pawar's house even as the opposition alliance awaits a response from the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi on its proposal to him of four seats, including Akola.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said the MVA seat sharing formula will be finalised soon and names of candidates will be announced in a day or two.

Talking to reporters after the meeting in Pawar's house, Patole said the Congress' central election committee in Delhi had finalised names of 12 candidates.

'We are discussing this with our allies and will then announce the list,'' Patole said.

He and Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat were in Delhi to attend the central election committee meeting and and had returned to the city this morning.

Patole and Thorat met Jayant Patil of the NCP(SP) in the evening, while the Congress earlier discussed the situation with the local leadership at the grand old party's Tilak Bhavan state headquarters.

NCP(SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad also attended the meeting at Pawar's residence.

Speaking to reporters after meeting his party leaders in Tilak Bhavan, Patole said the aim was to bring down the BJP, which had ruined the nation in its 10-year rule.

Talks have been held with MVA and also parties like the CPI(M), Samajwadi Party, he said, adding that Congress party candidates are almost finalised, while seat allocation and candidates in connection with the MVA will be announced in two to three days.

In the meeting with Pawar in the morning. discussions on campaign and other issues were also discussed, he added.

''MVA will fight all 48 seats. Some seats may be exchanged (among the constituents) after discussion,'' Patole said.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprises the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Meanwhile, a Congress leader told PTI talks among Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents was stuck over Ramtek, Sangli and Bhiwandi seats.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Congress leader said his party was involved in an impasse with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Ramtek (in Vidarbha) and Sangli (western Maharashtra) Lok Sabha seats, as well as on Bhiwandi (near Mumbai) with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).

The Shiv Sena (UBT) was adamant that the Congress leave Ramtek for it if the grand old party wanted Mumbai South Central, he claimed.

''We have a candidate in Sangli, while NCP(SP) wants Bhiwandi, which is our seat. The Congress will now contest Mumbai North Central and Mumbai North East. Our party has swapped Wardha for Amravati with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP,'' the leader said.

''The NCP and Shiv Sena have split and their vote share has got divided. The NCP(SP) does not even have a candidate for Wardha,'' the leader pointed out.

The Congress leader said communication had restarted with Prakash Ambedkar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.

''We hope the issue will be resolved soon. We are offering him (Ambedkar) four seats, including Akola that is part of our quota. The other (MVA) allies will release seats from their quotas in Marathwada, western Maharashtra and Mumbai (to accommodate VBA),'' he claimed.

The political situation in 2014 and 2019 is different from what it is now, he added.

The Congress leader said the party was also facing issues in Chandrapur where MLA Pratibha Dhanorkar, wife of late Suresh Dhanorkar, who was sitting MP, is seeking to contest.

The party has asked senior leader Vijay Wadettiwar to contest from Chandrapur, whereas he wants his daughter Shivani to be given a ticket, the leader said.

Meanwhile, former Congress MLA Amar Kale said he will be the NCP(SP) candidate from Wardha.

Kale said he hasn't quit the Congress but he will be the MVA candidate.

Kale said he had met Sharad Pawar who asked him to contest from Wardha. He said he then sought permission from AICC in charge for Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala.

Kale said he has asked leaders of both parties to clarify when the seat deal is announced that he had not quit the Congress.

Elections to the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)