Uddhav's Sena & Congress spar over sheat sharing, NCP denies internal discord

Amid intensifying seat-sharing negotiations within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule attempted to quell rumours of internal confusion on Monday.

#WATCH | Mumbai: On seat sharing among INDIA bloc parties, NCP MP Supriya Sule says "...There was a meeting between Sonia Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar in Delhi 15 days ago. A lot of things about seat sharing were clarified in that meeting… the information will be… pic.twitter.com/fellUtu0PO

— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2024

"There is no confusion internally," Sule said to reporters, citing a recent meeting between Sonia Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, and Sharad Pawar where "a lot of things about seat sharing were clarified." While acknowledging potential "ups and downs" in the formula due to the alliance nature, she said an official announcement within the next 8-10 days.

Sanjay Raut ignites tug of war

Meanwhile, the tug-of-war between allies, primarily Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), continues. UBT spokesperson Sanjay Raut reignited tensions with a 23-seat demand out of Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats.

MP Sanjay Raut said, "I had said that Congress will have to start from zero, I did not say that Congress is zero. Congress does not have a single MP in Maharashtra. We had 18 MPs but some left and we've 6 MPs now. Our alliance is there with Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi will win around 40 seats. BJP needs EVMs to win, they cannot win alone. Their alliance is with EVM."

Raut's demand prompted a cautious response from Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam. Nirupam termed the demand "a lot" and emphasized the need to curb infighting for a united INDIA bloc against the BJP's NDA alliance.

He said, "If all parties in the INDIA block need to fight together and defeat the BJP, then we need to stop infighting. From the newspaper, I got to know that Shiv Sena has demanded 23 seats, which is a lot."

Prakash Ambedkar to join the INDIA alliance?

Adding further complexity, former Lok Sabha MP Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, reiterated his interest in joining the MVA-INDIA alliance. In a letter to top leaders of the alliance, Ambedkar proposed a "conflict-free" formula of 12 seats for each party – Congress, NCP, UBT, and his Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). He stressed that defeating Modi should be the "only priority" and advocated for equal partnership among all alliance members.