MVA Lok Sabha seat-sharing deal finalised, announcement soon: Sanjay Raut

Members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA alliance agreed on a Lok Sabha seatsharing formula in Maharashtra for the coming Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday and it would be announced soon Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said reported news agency PTIHe was talking to reporters after a meeting of the Congress NCPSharadchandra Pawar and Shiv Sena UBT in MumbaiMaharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats second highest after Uttar Pradesh 80Congress leaders Nana Patole Prithviraj Chavan Varsha Gaikwad NCP Sharad Pawar faction leaders Jayant Patil Jitendra awhad and Anil Deshmukh and Sena UBTs Sanjay Raut and Vinayak Raut participated in the meeting A representative of the Prakash Ambedkarled Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi VBA was also present reported PTIThere will be no more meetings to discuss Lok Sabha seatsharing Raut said reported PTISharad Pawar Uddhav Thackeray state Congress president Nana Patole and Prakash Ambedkar will meet to give final approval to the deal and it will be announced at a press conference the Rajya Sabha member said reported PTIAlso Read Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut says seat sharing talks near completion for upcoming pollsRaut denied reports that VBA had demanded 27 seatsThey have given a list of seats where they have been working for many years We will discuss it he said reported PTIComprehensive discussion took place on each of the 48 Lok Sabha seats he said adding Winning is important not who contests how many seats reported PTIProtection of democracy and the Constitution is our agenda and Prakash Ambedkar holds the same view Raut added reported PTIIn the 2019 general elections the BJP had won 23 Lok Sabha seats in the state its alliance partner Shiv Sena which was then undivided had won 18 seats undivided NCP had won four while Congress and AIMIM had won a seat each An independent candidate had won one seatMeanwhile the Shiv Sena is firm on contesting 18 seats it won in Maharashtra in the last Lok Sabha polls a party leader said after a meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party MPs on Monday reported PTIThe fate of the four seats it lost in the 2019 general elections will be decided by the CM the leader addedA decision has been taken to form a coordination committee for Mumbai Instructions were also given to MPs Rahul Shewale and Milind Deora with regards to the partys poll preparations in Mumbai the leader said reported PTIWe will contest 18 seats we won in 2019 We have given Chief Minister Shinde the authority to decide on the four seats we lost said the party leader who is also an MP from north Maharashtra reported PTIIt is not clear how many seats the constituents of the ruling alliance comprising the BJP the Shindeled Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawarled Nationalist Congress Party will contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls reported PTIThe MPs were also told to focus on the bill passed by the state government to give reservation to the Maratha community the infrastructure works carried out by the Centre as well as the state government and Hindutva reported PTIEmphasising better coordination between allies CM Shinde also directed that a coordination committee be formed for better synergyDuring the meeting the MPs were asked whether any last minute intervention was needed with regards to work in their constituencies before the model code of conduct kicks in for the Lok Sabha polls which are to he held in the first half of the year reported PTIThe party will also focus on the rapid infrastructure development in the city he said reported PTIThe undivided Shiv Sena contested 22 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and won 18 of themAfter the split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022 13 of these MPs remained with Shinde while five stayed with the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBTWith inputs from PTI