Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: Don’t stretch till things fall apart, says Uddhav Thackeray

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT); (right) Nana Patole, state Congress president. Pics/Ashish Raje

While their parties are still talking about seat sharing, two leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) - state Congress president Nana Patole and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut - seemed to be at loggerheads. It is learnt that the fight has reached such a stage that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has asked for Patole's absence from the next round of negotiations. The flare-up led Sena (UBT) chief Thackeray to say later in the day, "It happens when many parties are together. There was nothing like a brawl or anything of that sort. Things should not be stretched till they fall apart."

The backdrop was what had happened early Friday. Earlier in the day, Raut questioned the decision-making ability of the state Congress leadership (read Patole). "They approach Delhi for everything even as there is a little time left before nominations. It should happen quickly here in Maharashtra, not in Delhi," he said, adding that he had a word with the Congress top leadership, including Mallikarjun Kharage and K C Venugopal about the stalemate, and would be discussing the same with Rahul Gandhi as well.

When asked, Patole, seen making all possible efforts to gather his composure, said at the MVA's joint media conference that he had to brief his party high command in Delhi about the developments in Maharashtra. "Our high command and other partners' top leaders, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, are not present when we talk about seat sharing. I have to tell my bosses about the talks. Others, too, brief their respective leaders," he said, even as Sena's Anil Desai suggested refraining from speaking any more about the issue.

Speaking to the media persons, NCP's Jitendra Awhad, who was present in the joint press conference, played down the skirmish. "It is not about the parties, but about two leaders. It happens sometimes," he said.

It is said that Patole has opposed the Sena's demand for more seats in Vidarbha, where the Congress sees a big potential to turn the tables on the BJP, which currently has maximum seats there. If it gets a decisive lead like in Lok Sabha elections in the Vidarbha region, the Congress will be in a very strong position
in the MVA.