Consensus evades Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, Prakash Ambedkar say 15 seats remain unresolved

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 9 (ANI): The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra continues to have teething trouble over seat sharing. While Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday expressed confidence in the alliance, the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) claims that issues on seat sharing remain unresolved.

‘Sanjay Raut says the MVA has given a proposal to Prakash Ambedkar of the VBA and claimed that the Aghadi would win all the seats that Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi will get in the alliance.

“I claim that we have offered those seats to Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi that their leaders told us in a list. Prakash Ambedkar is a prominent leader, and he is our beloved leader whom we all admire. I understand the sentiments involved. We will try to solve all the issues they have. All the seats that Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi will get as an alliance of MVA, we will win all those seats,” Sanjay Raut said.

Meanwhile, the VBA says it will not be a part of the Aghadi rally scheduled for Saturday in Baramati nor will it attend Rahul Gandhi’s Mumbai rally on March 12 till a formal decision is reached on the distribution of seats in the MVA.

VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar said “I was not aware that today’s meeting of the VBA has been postponed. On Friday night Sharad Pawar called me and said he would not be able to attend the meeting and I got to know that this meeting has been delayed. We wont speak to the media about the number of seat or the seats which we have asked for. We have informed the Aghadi leaders that prior to entering into talks with them we were ready to contest all 48 seats and even now we are ready to contest at leat 27 seats in the state.”

“As far as the division of seats goes there are about 15 seats on which consensus between the three big parties in the Aghadi is yet to be reached. Till they achieve consensus they are not in a position to take any decision on our party’s seats” he added.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday attended the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) meeting over seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“Seat sharing has been done well,” he said.

He further gave an insight of the meeting stating that his (Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s Prakash Ambedkar) proposal was also discussed, adding to which, he said, “If needed, we will have a meeting with him once again.”

Congress leader and former Maharashtra Minister Balasaheb Thorat also attended the key meeting on seat sharing and said that the meeting was good, adding to which he said, “We are hopeful that the results will also be the same.”

“The next meeting will be held soon,” he concluded.

After the meeting, the President of Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi, Prakash Ambedkar said that the discussion was positive and that further discussions would take place in the next meeting.