Talks about seat-sharing for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections between the Swabhimani Paksha and leaders of the Congress and NCP have been fruitful, said sources. While a decision on seat-sharing between the political party and the opposition alliance would be taken late on Wednesday, it is almost certain that they will contest the elections together, said sources. Swabhimani Paksha leaders, including its chief, MP Raju Shetti, met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders of the opposition alliance, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Last week, Shetti had given the opposition alliance 48 hours to decide on his party’s demand for Lok Sabha seats, failing which the Paksha was prepared to contest the elections alone. Shetti has asked for Buldhana and Wardha, along with Hatkanangale, the constituency he won in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Following the ultimatum, Shared Pawar had said he would intervene on behalf of the farmers’ outfit. During the meeting, both Gandhi and Pawar urged Shetti to be part of the coalition, said sources. “We were assured that all issues regarding seat-sharing would be worked out amicably,” they said. The party’s candidates would be decided on the basis of electoral merit and the local political situation, said sources. Shetti, a two-time MP, has managed to create a small but decisive voter base for his party. The Paksha was part of the NDA in 2014 but has since then parted ways with the BJP-led alliance at the Centre. Political analysts believe that the vote share of the Paksha will prove decisive for at least five seats in the sugar belt of Maharashtra.
