Will it be MVA without VBA?

Sanjay Raut; Congress leader Rahul Gandhi; VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar

Ahead of Rahul Gandhi's rally that the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders are expected to attend at Shivaji Park on March 17, the Opposition bloc in Maharashtra was scheduled to finalise the seat-sharing on Friday night. However, this meeting was to be held without the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the VBA was offered four seats and it was up to Prakash Ambedkar to take it or leave it. "We have completed the formula. There is no dispute," he said.

VBA's participation in the Opposition was considered a great strength for the anti-BJP forces, but Ambedkar's statements questioning the MVA talks and VBA's unreasonable demand for seats have added to the MVA's reluctance. Ambedkar wrote to the Congress president offering his alliance, calling out MVA leaders for delaying the seat-sharing formula. His offer hasn't yielded any response.

MVA leaders at a press conference. File pic

The MVA leaders were expected to meet on Friday to give final touches to the seat-sharing formula.

Raut said Uddhav Thackeray would join Rahul Gandhi at the Shivaji Park rally. The MVA is projecting the rally as a joint effort and promised to make it a memorable one by ensuring a record turnout.

Sharad Pawar, who was seen with Rahul in Dhule on Thursday, would also be there at Shivaji Park where the Congress's top leaders will be addressing the people after 18 years.

It was in December 2006 that Sonia Gandhi, the then Congress president, addressed a jam-packed Shivaji Park. Two months later the Congress had won over 70 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, but couldn't install its mayor.

18
No. of years since Congress's top leaders addressed the crowd in Mumbai