Shiv Sena's Unilateral 'Go Ahead To Candidates' On 23 Lok Sabha Seats Raises Eyebrows In Maha Vikas Aghadi

Ahead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders' meeting in New Delhi to discuss seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, has already given heads up to probable candidates for 23 seats it intends to contest, as reported by Indian Express.

Sanjay Raut, chief spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (UBT), stated, "we have staked claim to 23 Lok Sabha seats. We have candidates for all 23 seats and given them the go-ahead."

The party plans to present its demand for these seats during the upcoming meeting in Delhi.

This decision of Shiv Sena (UBT) signals upcoming tough times for Maha Vikas Aghadi in seat allocation.

Raut had earlier suggested that the Congress party may encounter difficulties in seat negotiations within Maharashtra's I.N.D.I. Alliance.

He noted that the Congress, having secured no constituencies in the state during the 2019 elections, would essentially need to start negotiations from scratch.

Leaders from the I.N.D.I. Alliance have also hinted at the possibility of competing independently in the Lok Sabha elections within their respective states.

In the 2019 elections, when in alliance with the BJP, the Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 23 seats and won 18, while the BJP contested 26. Following the 2022 revolt, 12 sitting MPs joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Raut mentioned that the Sena is likely to field five of its sitting MPs, including Arvind Sawant, Vinayak Raut, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Jadhav, and Rajan Vichare.

While the Sena claims to have given the green light to all probable candidates, it is still exploring options and has not officially declared its list.

Additionally, Sena (UBT) has decided to relinquish key seats it won in 2019, like Shirur, which it lost to the NCP in the last election.

The party plans to support the NCP's Amol Kolhe in Shrirur. In Hatkanangle, where the Sena candidate emerged victorious in 2019, the party may support farmer leader Raju Shetti, who recently met Thackeray.

Raut stated, "we are holding discussions with Shetti. We may support his candidature instead of fielding our own candidate. We are still in the discussion stage."