MVA has reached consensus on 200 Assembly seats, says Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar announces MVA consensus on contesting 200 seats in Maharashtra Assembly elections, dismissing impact of Haryana results.

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Thursday (October 17, 2024) said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties have reached a consensus on contesting 200 out of the 288 Assembly seats for the upcoming Maharshtra Assembly elections.

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Mr. Pawar clarified that he was not directly involved in the seat-sharing discussions. “Jayant Patil, our state unit chief, is representing the party in these talks. According to him, an agreement has been reached on approximately 200 seats,” he said in Satara district.

When asked which seats in Satara district the NCP (SP) would contest from, Mr. Pawar said Mr. Patil would make the decision.

Elections to the Maharashtra Assembly are scheduled for November 20, with vote counting on November 23. The MVA, comprising Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP), is set to challenge the ruling Mahayuti alliance of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Mr. Pawar dismissed the concern that the Congress’s defeat in the recent Haryana Assembly polls could impact the MVA’s prospects in Maharashtra. “The BJP retained power in Haryana. But we are studying the results. I don’t think they will affect the elections here,” he said, while also pointing out the significance of the Jammu and Kashmir elections, where Omar Abdullah of National Conference has been sworn in as the Chief Minister.

On the Election Commission’s rejection of the NCP (SP)’s request to freeze the trumpet symbol from the free list of symbols, Mr. Pawar said that the ECI informed them that their party’s symbol “man blowing turha” was not clear before. “They told us that they have enlarged it, and now we hope that it won’t affect us,” he said. The NCP (SP) had raised a concern that the trumpet symbol closely resembled the party’s “man blowing turha” symbol, which could lead to confusion among voters during the polls.