 "Almost 99% work on MVA's seat-sharing completed, says Sanjay Raut")
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said 99 per cent of work on the Maha Vikas Aghadi's seat-sharing arrangement has been completed and leaders of the three alliance parties are expected to announce the formula later in the day.
Talking to reporters, Raut also indicated his party could contest 100 seats.
Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are scheduled on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
Top leaders of the opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance met here late Tuesday night with indications that the seat-sharing arrangement for the assembly elections has been finalised.
The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP).
After the talks, especially those between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, hit a roadblock, senior state Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat first met NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday and then Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
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Later, Thorat and other leaders of the MVA again sat together for a meeting that lasted for several hours at a hotel here.
Leaders of the three parties were involved in hectic seat-sharing deliberations which continued until late Tuesday night.
Raut on Wednesday said, "Ninety nine per cent work on seat-sharing has been completed. By today evening, leaders of the three parties will hold a press conference."
"Shiv Sena (referring to his faction led by Uddhav Thackeray) is an experienced player, so it has to hit a century. There are expectations of people that Sena should hit a century in seats and overall victory," he said.
Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena (headed by CM Eknath Shinde), BJP and MNS which have released their first lists of candidates, Raut said the MVA has to form government which is why the allies took time.
Each assembly segment was being deliberated upon, the Rajya Sabha member added.
He said even if the MVA has not released its list, the three parties have already given A and B forms to their candidates.
The A and B forms are important documents, which denote a certain candidate has been approved by a political party and should be allotted the election symbol of that party.
Asked if his party will field a candidate from Mahim against MNS president Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray, Raut said the Sena was formed in Mahim-Dadar belt and it cannot be the case that it will not field a candidate there.
Raut also asserted that Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray will win from Worli seat with a bigger margin this time.
Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray, will make his electoral debut from Mahim assembly seat in central Mumbai, as per the list of candidates announced by the MNS for the Maharashtra elections.
Amit will be the third person from the extended Thackeray family to contest an election. His father Raj Thackeray has never contested any poll.
Amit's cousin Aaditya Thackeray -- Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's son -- made his debut by winning from neighbouring Worli seat in the 2019 assembly polls.
Uddhav Thackeray himself was elected to the legislative council in 2020 after he became Maharashtra chief minister.