Abu Asim Azmi is a three-time MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency. (Photo: Facebook)

Give 5 seats or will contest on 25: Samajwadi leader's warning to MVA allies

Abu Asim Azmi, chief of Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra unit, gave a deadline to his MVA allies till Saturday afternoon to agree on his demand for five seats.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Abu Asim Azmi demands 5 seats for Samajwadi Party in MVA seat-sharing
  • Azmi warns against division of Muslim votes
  • Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have released one list each

Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has jumped into the seat-sharing tussle within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), threatening to field candidates on 25 seats if the opposition alliance fails to keep aside five seats for his party's candidates.

Samajwadi Party is a part of the MVA, which also includes Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

On Friday, Abu Asim Azmi, the state chief of Samajwadi Party and three-time MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency, went to YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai to meet Sharad Pawar, who is being seen a negotiator on seat-sharing discussions among the MVA allies for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Azmi gave a deadline to his MVA allies till Saturday afternoon to agree on his demand for five seats.

"I have asked for five seats. On two seats, we have sitting MLAs (Bhiwandi East and Mankhurd)," Azmi said. The other three seats demanded by Azmi are Bhiwandi West, Malegaon and Dhule.

"I will wait till tomorrow afternoon. After this, I'll take my decision and field 25 candidates," he added.

Azmi also warned against the division of Muslim votes. "If you don't give representation to the minorities, they will contest, and you will have another Haryana," he said, highlighting the Congress's loss in the recently held Haryana Assembly election.

The election to 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will happen in a single phase on November 20 and results will be declared on November 23.

The Congress has released its first list of 48 candidates, while the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has released list of 45 candidates and Shiv Sena (UBT) has released 65 names so far.