Smaller MVA allies uneasy over delay in seat allocation

The delay in finalising a seat allocation agreement among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) 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 Election, the smaller parties are keen to contest under the INDI Alliance banner, which effectively relegated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to just 17 seats.

While the major MVA constituents — Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) — did participate in the Lok Sabha election, smaller parties played a crucial role in supporting the INDI Alliance's campaign without contesting the General Election.

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.