Uddhav Sena, Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP to contest 85 seats each in Maharashtra

Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, Congress, and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be contesting elections on 85 seats each. 

In Short

• Maha Vikas Aghadi agrees on seat-sharing for Maharashtra polls
• After agreeing on 270 seats, the rest 18 seats will be discussed with alliance partners
• Maharashtra will go to poll on November 20, results will be out on 23

The opposition alliance in Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), has reached an agreement over seat-sharing for the upcoming state assembly polls. As per the agreement, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) will be contesting elections on 85 seats each.

Speaking on the seat-sharing formula, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said, "We've decided that Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest on 85 seats each and on the remaining 18 seats, we will have talks with our alliance parties including Samajwadi Party and by tomorrow they will be cleared. We are contesting the elections as Maha Vikas Aghadi, and we will form the government."

Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has agreed on a seat-sharing formula for the upcoming elections.

"We are all together here," Raut said, adding that the last meeting was held under Sharad Pawar's leadership.

"Sharad Pawar instructed us to go in front of the media and declare the seat-sharing formula of MVA." According to Raut, the Sena, Congress, and NCP have agreed to share 85 seats each, making a total of 270.

"Rest seats discussion will happen further," he said, noting that the MVA plans to contest all 288 seats.

The MVA alliance, formed after the 2019 state elections, is hoping to defeat the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP.

The opposition parties are looking to repeat their Lok Sabha polls performance, where they had an advantage over the Mahayuti alliance. The MVA won 30 Lok Sabha seats against its rival's 17. The Congress won 13 out of the 17 seats it contested, and Shiv Sena-UBT had won 9 out of 21 seats it fought in.