Maharashtra polls: RPI (A) should get 10 to 12 seats to contest elections, says Ramdas Athawale

Ramdas Athawale. File Pic

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said his party Republican Party of India (RPI-A), an ally in the ruling Mahayuti, should get to contest on at least 10 to 12 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, reported the PTI.

Addressing a press conference in Maharashtra's Nagpur, Ramdas Athawale said the RPI-A will contest the election on its party symbol and ask for three to four seats in Vidarbha, including north Nagpur, Umred (Nagpur), Umarkhed in Yavatmal and Washim.

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Ramdas Athawale's party is part of the Mahayuti alliance which comprises of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Union minister said, "The RPI-A has made a list of 18 probable seats, which it will be sharing with the Mahayuti partners in a few days and expects to get at least 10 to 12 seats in the seat-sharing pact," as per the PTI.

He said that the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP should give four seats each from their quota for his party.

In Palghar earlier this week, Ramdas Athawale claimed that due to the inclusion of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the Mahayuti government, the RPI (A) did not get any ministerial berth in the state despite a promise.

He claimed that the party was promised cabinet positions, chairmanship of two corporations, and roles in district-level committees, but all this could not happen because of Pawar's inclusion.

The elections to 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra are likely to be held in November.

In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant.

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Former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday said he will campaign for the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections and claimed the ruling BJP would be "wiped out" in the state elections, reported PTI.

Malik, who had played a crucial role in the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, was speaking to reporters after meeting Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence in Mumbai, reported PTI.

(with PTI inputs)