Maharashtra: MVA chalks strategy for simultaneous polls in 2023

Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat and others at the meeting

If the Opposition leader in the Assembly, Ajit Pawar, is to be believed, then the state Assembly polls are slated to be conducted concurrently with the Lok Sabha elections next summer. It was because of this possibility that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will discuss the seat-sharing formula for the two elections.

There is a possibility of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections next year. We will be discussing 48 Lok Sabha seats and 288 Assembly seats as well, because we may not have enough time at hand (to finalise seat-sharing), if the two polls are held together next year," said Pawar while briefing media persons about the proceedings of the MVA meeting held at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) boss Sharad Pawar's Mumbai residence on Sunday.

Ajit Pawar recalled that the then Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had advanced the Assembly elections in 1999 to club them with the general elections in that year's winter. "After the crushing defeat of the BJP in Karnataka, the opposition camp is buoyed. The exit polls gave the Congress 100-110 seats but finally the party claimed 135 seats, and the BJP only 65," he added.

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According to the leader, Sharad Pawar had invited all seniors from the MVA partners to chart out the next line of action. "In 2019, the Congress and NCP were in the pre-poll alliance. This time, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will also be there in the pact. The smaller, friendly parties will also be with us," he said. The MVA partners will nominate two leaders each to discuss the sharing of seats. "It will be good if they finalise the formula or else the high command of the respective parties will take the discussion forward," Ajit Pawar said.

According to Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar had invited all seniors from the MVA partners to chalk out the next line of action

Other than seat-sharing, the MVA has decided to resume the joint ‘Vajramuth' rallies that were suspended because of a heat wave in the areas where the next round was scheduled to be held. The rallies will resume once the temperature goes down, and one such rally will have the new Karnataka chief minister as the chief guest. "The suggestion to invite the Karnataka chief minister came at yesterday's meeting. The chief minister will be felicitated at the rally," he added.