MVA meeting fails to resolve deadlock over disputed seats
A meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra to resolve differences over a few remaining seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 remained inconclusive on Wednesday, reported the PTI.
The MVA alliance comprises of the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
The Congress was reportedly firm on getting Maharashtra`s Sangli, Bhiwandi and a couple of seats in Mumbai, state Congress chief Nana Patole told the PTI after the meeting.
The meeting at `Silver Oak`, the residence of NCP founder Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, did not yield any outcome, he conceded, as per the PTI.
Talks were still going on with the central leadership of the Congress party, and a solution would likely emerge tomorrow, Nana Patole said, according to the PTI.
As per MVA leaders, only four or five seats are a sticking point and the three allies have agreed on most constituencies in the state.
Maharashtra sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha, second-highest in the country after Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Wednesday said that it has initiated disciplinary action against former MP Sanjay Nirupam for his recent remarks against the party leadership amid seat-sharing talks with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), reported the PTI.
The Congress said that a decision on Sanjay Nirupam will be taken in a day or two, as per the PTI.
The Congress has dropped Nirupam`s name from the list of star campaigners, Nana Patole told reporters after attending a meeting of the party`s campaign committee in Mumbai on Wednesday.
“The party has dropped Nirupam`s name from the list of star campaigners and disciplinary action has been initiated against him for his utterances against the party and the state unit leadership. A decision will be taken in a day or two,” Nana Patole said, the news agency reported.
A former MP from Mumbai North, Nirupam had hit out at the state leadership of Congress after the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray declared its candidates for four out of six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, including the Mumbai North West seat, which Sanjay Nirupam is eyeing.
Sanjay Nirupam had said that the Congress leadership shouldn`t allow itself to be arm-twisted by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
(with PTI inputs)
