As MVA works out seat-sharing, the takeaways: Good deal for Uddhav, Congress cedes three seats

The NCP (SP) has prioritised concentrating its resources on fewer seats but with a higher possibility of victory. Instead of bargaining hard with allies, the Pawar-led party has kept with it the seats where it retains a sizeable presence and influential leaders despite last year’s split.

The Congress that got 26 seats in its seat-sharing deal with the NCP five years ago but contested 25, giving one to the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi. This time, forced to cede space to allies, the number of constituencies that the party will contest has come down further. Initially, the differences between the Congress and the other two parties were said to have extended to more than 10 seats. In the end, the breakthrough was achieved after the Congress ceded Sangli and Mumbai South-Central to Sena (UBT) and the Bhiwandi to NCP (SP).

The grand old party, which was the bigger partner in the earlier alliance with the undivided NCP, has now been reduced to two seats in Mumbai. With Bhiwandi too gone, it will not be in the fray in the Konkan region. A major focus of the Congress is Vidarbha, where it is contesting seven of the 10 constituencies. The party is also contesting three constituencies in west Maharashtra and has been reduced to fighting the three constituencies of Latur, Nanded, and Jalna in Marathwada.

Will Congress face a rebellion?

The deal has left local Congress functionaries unhappy with the party leadership, with some leaders in Sangli talking about a possible rebellion. There, the local leadership was insisting on the candidature of former Maharashtra CM Vasantdada Patil’s grandson Vishal Patil. The constituency used to be a Congress bastion but in 2014 the party lost there for the first time since Independence as the BJP bagged it.

As the seat-sharing discussions remained in limbo, former minister and MLA Vishwajeet Kadam and Vishal Patil thrice visited Delhi to meet the Congress high command. Last week, local Congress leaders boycotted a tour of Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, causing a spat between the allies. To push their case, the Congress in Sangli has claimed that the Sena does not have any presence in Sangli and it is futile to give it the constituency.

Congress leaders in Sangli blamed the lack of strong leadership on the negotiation table for the party’s shrinking space. The state leadership, they said, had told them that only the high command in Delhi would take the final call.

“When you are negotiating with Thackeray and Pawar, one must be diplomatic and cautious. Merely making public statements is not enough,” said a Congress leader. According to party insiders, Vishal Patil may contest as an Independent. Another section has claimed that the party may still choose to field someone and set the stage for a direct fight between allies.

Mumbai Congress leaders are also upset with the Sena for announcing Anil Desai’s candidature from Mumbai South-Central against sitting MP Rahul Shewale of the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad was one of the main contenders for the constituency. In Bhiwandi, local Congress leaders have said they will not work for the NCP (SP) candidate. Sena (UBT) insiders said the party had left Kolhapur, Ramtek, and Amaravati for the Congress and there was nothing wrong in it contesting Sangli and Mumbai South-Central.

Uddhav, Pawar, and state Congress chief Nana Patole, meanwhile, said the decision was unanimous and that there were no differences in the MVA.

“Ultimately, we had to close the discussions somewhere and begin campaigning. There is no crime in having ambitions. However, ultimately we have to come together to win by deciding whom to defeat. We have started working together,” said Uddhav.

Pawar told reporters, “There is no difference on any seat, be it Sangli or any other. All decisions have been taken unanimously.”