Congress, Uddhav-led Sena begin review of Maharashtra Lok Sabha seats, with uncertainty over Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction 

The Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have begun taking stock of all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra

With a cloud hanging over the future of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction, Mr. Pawar’s allies in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) — have respectively begun taking stock of all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.  

Mr. Pawar’s repeated meetings with his nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, despite the latter splitting the NCP last month to align with the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde government, has prompted the Sena (UBT) and the Congress to suspect that Pawar senior’s faction may ally with the BJP in the future, despite his denials of it.

According to sources, the two MVA parties are preparing for the 2024 General Election knowing they might have to go without Mr. Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, despite the latter’s assurance that his NCP faction would have nothing to do with the BJP.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday said that while the NCP chief’s meetings with Mr. Ajit Pawar were certainly a cause for concern for the future of the MVA alliance, a decision on it would only be taken by the party’s top brass.

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“I have said before that the meetings [between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar] are a cause for worry. These clandestine meetings are improper. But discussions on this matter will be held at a higher level, that is, the Opposition INDIA bloc. It is not right for me to comment on it,” Mr. Patole said.

He remarked that the Congress’ stance was clear and that it would take anybody who was willing to fight the BJP.