"All 48 seats in Maharashtra belong to MVA": Sanjay Raut

Rajya Sabha MP and Uddhav Thackery faction leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday that all 48 seats in Maharashtra belong to Maha Vikas Aghadi and not particularly to any one of its constituents.

Rajya Sabha MP and Uddhav Thackery faction leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday that all 48 seats in Maharashtra belong to Maha Vikas Aghadi and not particularly to any one of its constituents. His comments came after Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat expressed concern over the UBT announcing its candidates for some seats that were "still under discussion," including the Sangli seat.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, he said, "All the 48 seats in Maharashtra belong to Maha Vikas Aghadi and not particularly to Shiv Sena (UBT) or Congress. Shiv Sena (UBT) has a clear vision of winning all the seats in the MVA). Referring to Thorat's statement, who is also a member of the MVA negotiating committee, he said, "Some people could be furious about Shiv Sena having a Sangli seat..."

"Amravati and Kolhapur were our seats, but we explained to our workers... If some Congress people are furious in Sangli, then it is the responsibility of top leadership to explain them...We will try our best to win Sangli's seat." "Sena should not have announced the candidates for Mumbai South Central and Sangli. These were still under discussion," Thorat told ANI in March.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has named senior leader Anil Desai from the Mumbai South Central parliamentary constituency and Chandrahar Patil in Sangli. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) on Thursday announced the names of seven candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

The party has fielded Suresh Mhatre from Bhiwandi's seat, and Bajrang Sonawane will be the candidate from the Beed seat. The party has fielded Supriya Sule from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat. She will contest against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar. Sule is the sitting MP from the seat since 2009.

The UBT Sena is fighting the Maharashtra polls in alliance with the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the Congress after the breakdown of talks for seat sharing with the Prakash Ambedkar led Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh, known for its political diversity and significant electoral influence, Maharashtra plays a crucial role in shaping national politics. In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 23 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena (undivided) with 18 seats. (ANI)

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