Buoyed by the Lok Sabha results and the return of regional satraps and party workers into the fold, the NCP SP is increasing its bargaining power in the MVA’s seat sharing talks
Mumbai: For political parties within two state’s two major alliances, it’s time to flex muscle and corner the maximum number of seats as seat sharing talks are under way in full fervour. On Thursday, while speaking to reporters in Karad, Pawar claimed that the MVA leaders have reached consensus on 200 seats while 88 were still under discussion. If the outcome of the recent Haryana polls and the Lok Sabha results are any measure, the NCP-SP is well suited to get its demands met within the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi.
In the Lok Sabha elections held in April this year, Sharad Pawar’s party enjoyed a strike rate of 80 per cent, winning eight out of the 10 seats it contested. In contrast, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena won only nine out of the 21 constituencies it contested and the Congress won 13 of 17 seats.
The tally of 2019 is unlikely to have any bearing on the seat equations this time since both, the Shiv Sena and the NCP have split since then. In 2019, the undivided NCP contested 121 seats and won 54 while its alliance partner the Congress contested 147 but won only 44. This time, the Shiv Sena is also an alliance partner, asking for its share in the pie.
While the talks are still underway, sources within the NCP-SP say that they are keen on contesting between 90 and 115 seats given that the party is on the upswing with an influx of party leaders and workers. In the past few days, several senior party functionaries of Ajit Pawar-led NCP have met Pawar senior, promising support in various constituencies. NCP legislator from Phaltan, Deepak Chavan officially joined the NCP-SP taking along his supporters and party workers. Earlier this month, Harshvardhan Patil, who has a good hold over cooperatives, also returned to his parent party after a stint in the BJP.
With Pawar strengthening his chances in various constituencies, the party is set to get a boost during the seat sharing talks that are led by Jayant Patil.
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