Mumbai: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar, announced plans to jointly contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election. Sharad Pawar stressed the need for a united front among opposition parties to effect political change, with seat-sharing discussions set to commence soon.
In Pune, Pawar highlighted the coalition’s moral obligation to include smaller allies, like the Left parties and Peasants and Workers Party, who were excluded during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Encouraged by the MVA’s strong showing in the parliamentary polls, winning 30 of Maharashtra’s 48 seats, Pawar expressed confidence in their prospects for the Assembly election scheduled for October.
Regarding the Chief Ministerial face, Pawar remained noncommittal, asserting that the MVA presents itself as a collective coalition. He underscored their unified goal of winning the Assembly election, likening it to Arjuna’s focus on a target in the Mahabharata.
Pawar’s strategy includes challenging his nephew, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, following Ajit’s defeat in the Lok Sabha contest. Reports suggest discontent within Ajit’s camp, with several corporators and leaders reportedly considering defection to Sharad Pawar’s faction.
The potential defections could weaken Ajit Pawar’s stronghold over Pimpri-Chinchwad and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), historically pivotal in his political influence. The BJP’s success in the 2017 PCMC polls further complicates Ajit Pawar’s electoral position ahead of the Assembly election.
