The MVA leaders, consisting of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Uddhav Thackeray, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, and Congress’s Balasaheb Thorat, held discussions with the VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar for the first time to discuss the fate of their alliance in taking on the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the state. During the course of their meeting, Prakash Ambedkar also proposed to contest 12 Lok Sabha seats, which the other parties are unlikely to agree on. However, VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar demanded written commitments of no ties with the BJP either before of after the Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, the MVA partners have agreed on a seat-sharing deal with Shiv Sena contesting 21 seats, Congress 15, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP 9.
(IPA Service)
