THE Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Tuesday announced its seat-sharing formula for the Lok Sabha polls with the Shiv Sena (UBT) getting the major chunk of 21 seats, while the Congress will contest 17 and the NCP (SP) 10 seats. The Congress gave up its claim on the contentious Sangli and Bhiwandi seats, which will now be contested by the Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP), respectively. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said there are no differences among the allies over any seat and the distribution arrangement for the 48 parliamentary seats in the State has been arrived at unanimously. While Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray said the larger goal of the alliance was to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), State Congress president Nana Patole said it has decided to be “large-hearted” to achieve this objective. Pawar, Thackeray and Patole announced the poll pact after weeks of hectic negotiations. Addressing a press conference at ‘Shivalaya’, the Shiv Sena (UBT) office in south Mumbai, former State Chief Minister Thackeray said the seat-sharing deal has been reached and that in an alliance, winning is important and defeating the BJP is the goal. “When victory against the BJP is the larger goal, we have to set aside certain differences,” he said when asked about the Shiv Sena (UBT) refusing to give Sangli seat to the Congress.

 

Thackeray said there was a strange coincidence of “surya grahan” (solar eclipse), “amavasya” (new moon) and the BJP rally on the same day (Monday). “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech yesterday was not that of a Prime Minister. When we respond, please don’t take it as an insult of the Prime Minister. Our criticism will be about a leader of a corrupt party,” Thackeray said to a query on Modi referring to his party as “fake Shiv Sena”. “It is not right for a leader of the party of extortionists to call us fake,” he said. The BJP is a “party of extortionists” and this was seen after the electoral bonds “scam” was exposed, Thackeray claimed. Maharashtra Congress president Patole said his party has decided to be “large-hearted” to achieve the final goal of defeating PM Modi and the BJP. The Congress workers will fight the BJP and ensure victory of the MVA candidates in Sangli and Bhiwandi, he said. “Our workers will never forget how the BJP ill-treated our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi,” he said. Patole said the parties of Thackeray and Sharad Pawar were “hijacked” by rebels. “Leaders of both the original parties are with us and Modi calls the Uddhav Thackeray-led party as fake Shiv Sena,” he said.

 

Sharad Pawar said there are no differences among the allies over any seat. “On behalf of the three parties, the seat-sharing deal has been finalised unanimously,” he said. Thackeray said that in an alliance, adjustments are done wherever possible. “Everyone wishes to contest maximum seats. Having ambitions is not a crime, but when we look at our larger goal and what we are fighting for, differences automatically are set aside,” he said. Thackeray said he has announced all the 21 candidates for the seats to be contested by his party and the Congress and NCP (SP) will do so in a day or two. “People have made up their mind to defeat the BJP,” he said. Patole said the BJP links the Congress’ “social justice” manifesto to the pro-Partition Muslim League, which shows how low the ruling party can stoop to. Thackeray lauded the Congress’ manifesto and said its promises will be implemented when the INDIA alliance forms government at the Centre. As part of the deal, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has got Jalgaon, Parbhani, Nashik, Palghar, Kalyan, Thane, Raigad, Maval, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Buldhana, Hathkanangkale, Aurangabad, Shirdi, Sangli, Hingoli, Yavatmal-Washim, Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North West and Mumbai North East seats. The Congress has got Nandurbar, Dhule, Akola, Amravati, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur, Nanded, Jalna, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai North, Pune, Latur, Solapur, Kolhapur and Ramtek seats. The NCP(SP) will contest Baramati, Shirur, Satara, Bhiwandi, Dindori, Madha, Raver, Wardhan, Ahmednagar South and Beed seats. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in the state in five phases from April 19 to May 20.