MVA, Mahayuti face friendly fights as Maharashtra battle line-ups take shape

In the MVA, the Congress has emerged as the biggest party with 101 seats in its share, followed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) with 96 seats and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) with 87 seats. The MVA has left two seats each for the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the CPI(M).

Maha Vikas Aghadi

The Opposition alliance, however, has multiple candidates from its constituent parties in Miraj (Sangli district), Solapur South, Pandharpur, and Sangola (Solapur district), Paranda (Dharashiv district), Digras (Yavatmal district), and Dharavi (Mumbai), with Congress and Sena (UBT) candidates filing nominations in four of these constituencies. Except for Dharavi, Mahayuti parties currently hold all the seats.

In Miraj, the Congress has given a ticket to Mohan Vankhande while the Sena (UBT) has fielded Tanaji Satpute. At present the seat is held by state minister Suresh Khade of the BJP.

In Solapur South, which too is held by the BJP, the Sena (UBT) and the Congress have declared the names of Amar Patil and Dilip Mane, respectively. The Congress and the NCP (SP) are at odds over Pandharpur, with the Congress fielding Bhagirath Bhalke and the Sena (UBT) going with Anil Sawant. Though the NCP’s Bharat Bhalke won the seat in 2019, the BJP wrested control of the seat in 2021 in a bypoll necessitated by Bhalke’s death the year before. In Sangola, Thackeray’s party has fielded Dilip Salunkhe while MVA ally Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) has named Dr Babasaheb Deshmukh as its candidate. The seat is currently held by Shahajibapu Patil of the Shiv Sena who sided with Eknath Shinde during the 2022 rebellion.

In the constituency of Paranda, Thackeray has fielded former MLA Dyaneshwar Patil’s son Ranjit while the NCP (SP) has announced the name of former MLA Rahul Mote. The constituency is currently held by minister Tanaji Sawant of the Shiv Sena. The Sena (UBT) and Congress have also locked horns over Digras, with the former naming its leader Pawan Jaiswal and the latter going with former state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre. Minister Sanjay Rathod of the Shiv Sena holds the seat.

In Dharavi, the conflict is between the Congress that has fielded its city chief and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad’s sister Jyoti. On Tuesday, former MLA Baburao Mane filed the nomination from Sena (UBT). Varsha Gaikwad has been winning the constituency since 2004.

All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala told The Indian Express there would be no friendly fights. “If there are seats where our allies have filed nominations, those will be resolved in coming days,” he said.

Last week, seat-sharing discussions hit a roadblock over differences between the Sena (UBT) and the Congress. After both parties finally reached out to Pawar to intercede, the Opposition coalition reached an initial understanding on 255 seats, sharing them equally.

Mahayuti

The ruling alliance has multiple candidates of its parties in the fray in the constituencies of Mankhurd-Shivajinagar (Mumbai), Purandar (Pune), Morshi (Amaravati), Dindori ST-reserved constituency (Nashik district), and Ashti (Beed district).

In Mankhurd-Shivajinagar, the NCP has fielded former minister Nawab Malik while Shinde has given the ticket to Suresh Patil. In the past three elections, SP state president Abu Azmi won this seat. Sena and NCP candidates are also facing off at the moment in Purandar, with Vijay Shivtare getting the former’s ticket and Ajit Pawar fielding Sambhaji Zende.

In Morshi, the BJP has fielded Umesh Yawalkar while the NCP has given its ticket to sitting MLA Devendra Bhuyar. In Dindori, while the NCP has given the ticket to Deputy Speaker and incumbent legislator Narhari Zirwal, the Sena has fielded former MLA Dhanraj Mahale. The conflict in Ashti too is between current MLA Balasaheb Ajabe who has got the NCP ticket and former legislator Suresh Dhas whom the BJP has fielded.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the differences over these constituencies would be “rectified in the coming days”.