Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday said that his party did not “surrender” but took a step back in the seat-sharing negotiations with its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance partners as the talks could not go on indefinitely, reported the PTI.

Nana Patole`s statement came even as there was apparent disgruntlement in the state unit over Congress ceding seats such as Sangli and Bhiwandi.

“We took a step back, we did not surrender,” he told reporters after the seat-sharing formula was announced, according to the PTI.

“The deal has been finalised after consultations with the party high command. We tried our best to get the seats where we had good prospects of winning. But the talks cannot be stretched too far as the election process has already begun,” Nana Patole said, as per the PTI.

On the Sangli unit of Congress calling a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the future course of action, he said it was done after taking his permission.

As per Congress sources, the party`s local leadership in Mumbai too was upset over the failure to get at least three out of six seats in the city. As per the deal, Congress will contest two and Shiv Sena (UBT) four seats in Maharashtra`s capital.

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad had written a letter to AICC general secretary K Venugopal complaining that the state leadership sacrificed the party`s interests in Mumbai, sources said, the PTI reported on Tuesday.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi earlier on Tuesday announced its seat-sharing formula for 48 seats in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena (UBT) getting the major chunk of 21 seats, Congress 17 and the NCP (SP) ten seats.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at `Shivalaya`, the Shiv Sena (UBT) office in south Mumbai, party head and former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the seat-sharing deal has been reached and 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.

Uddhav 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,” Uddhav Thackeray said.

The BJP is a “party of extortionists” and this was seen after the electoral bonds “scam” was exposed, Uddhav Thackeray claimed.

(with PTI inputs)

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