The delay in finalising a seat allocation agreement among the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections has ignited concerns among smaller constituents as the nomination process commenced on Tuesday.
As discussions on seat-sharing drag on among the MVA partners, minor parties within the opposition bloc, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Left parties, and the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), are growing increasingly restless.
Aspirants from various parties are flocking to MVA offices seeking tickets as the nomination filing process got underway, with a deadline of October 29.
The continued delays in seat allocation could potentially jeopardise their electoral prospects.
With the MVA having secured 31 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra during the last general elections, the smaller parties are keen to contest under the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) banner, which effectively relegated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to just 17 seats.
While the major MVA constituents, the Congress, the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar -- did participate in the Lok Sabha elections, smaller parties played a crucial role in supporting the INDIA bloc's campaign without contesting the general polls.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party has made a formal request for 12 seats in the November 20 assembly elections and has already announced candidates for five constituencies.
An SP leader voiced frustrations over the Congress' 'missteps', which he believed contributed to its defeat in Haryana.
He argued that the seat-sharing agreement should have been finalised at least two weeks prior.
"It is unfortunate that, given the plight of the country and Maharashtra, these parties are preoccupied with their seat demands. Congress, NCP-SP, and Shiv Sena-UBT should have finalised the seat-sharing negotiations; otherwise, they will meet the same fate as Haryana," SP leader Abu Asim Azmi told PTI.
Azmi said he would not withdraw any of his declared candidates, emphasising that allowing Shiv Sena or the Bharatiya Janata Party to win without a contest is unacceptable. Notably, many of the SP's requested seats overlap with Congress claims.
The SP had actively campaigned for INDI alliance candidates in Maharashtra, even organising rallies on their behalf.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party is also eager to contest in the upcoming elections.
"We have submitted a list of seats to the MVA parties, and we expect clarity by Wednesday on how many seats we will contest or if we will go solo," said an AAP leader from Maharashtra.
The PWP, led by Jayant Patil, has requested six seats, specifically naming Panvel, Uran, Pen, Alibaug, Sangola, and Loha, the latter being a stronghold for the party.
However, there are overlapping claims for several seats. Both Alibaug and Sangola were previously won by the undivided Shiv Sena. Later, the incumbent MLAs, Mahendra Dalvi and Shahjibapu Patil sided with the Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Last week, Deepak Salunkhe Patil joined the Sena-UBT after quitting Ajit Pawar-led NCP to take on Shahjibapu Patil.
"We have been fighting for our share. Eleven Lok Sabha seats won by the INDI Alliance are a testament to the efforts of local parties," asserted Jayant Patil.
The Left parties, which currently hold only one seat in the 288-member assembly, are also advocating for their share of seats as the deadline for nominations looms closer.
The pressure is mounting for the major MVA allies to reach an agreement before it's too late.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday said the seat-sharing picture in the MVA will become clear in the next two days.
The impasse over the sharing of seats caused significant heartburn for Shiv Sena-UBT and Congress as they haggled over certain seats in the crucial Vidarbha region, which saw Congress' strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls.
Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat met NCP-SP president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray in a bid to break the deadlock about seat-sharing.
