Uddhav Thackeray Meets Congress Leaders Ahead of Maharashtra Elections

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray met Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, accompanied by his son. Amidst preparations for the state assembly elections, internal party dynamics and criticisms have surfaced. Meanwhile, the BJP struggles with decreasing seats in Maharashtra.

In a strategic move ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray met with Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday. Uddhav was accompanied by his son, Aditya Thackeray.

The meeting was also attended by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and Congress MP KC Venugopal. This follows a recent meeting on August 3 where Sharad Pawar met Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde to discuss the contentious Maratha reservation issue, among other topics.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance parties are vigorously preparing for the upcoming state elections. On August 4, Congress convened a meeting of its state leaders. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Deputy Leader and Spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam criticized Uddhav Thackeray, accusing him of appeasing Congress purely for power.

Addressing a press conference at Balasaheb Bhavan, Nirupam remarked, "Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Delhi exemplifies his helplessness." He noted that despite the unlikelihood of forming a government, leaders like Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat, Jitendra Awhad, Anil Deshmukh, and Aditya Thackeray are all vying for leadership.

Nirupam further commented, "Uddhav Thackeray's visit is an attempt to position himself as the prime candidate for Chief Minister within the MVA." He speculated that Sharad Pawar's reluctance to endorse Thackeray has led him to seek backing from other leaders within the INDIA Alliance to pressure Pawar.

The Maharashtra legislative assembly, which consists of 288 seats, is expected to go to the polls later this year. While the current government's term ends in 2024, the Election Commission has not yet announced the poll dates.

In the previous elections, the BJP saw a significant drop in its seat count, securing only nine seats in Maharashtra compared to 23 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, with a vote share of 26.18 percent. Congress marginally increased its seats to 13. Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won seven and one seats, respectively, bringing the NDA's total to 17. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) secured nine seats, while the NCP won eight.

(With inputs from agencies.)