Mumbai, Apr 11 ; Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad expressed disappointment on Thursday over the seat-sharing arrangement among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies for the Lok Sabha polls, suggesting that the party’s Maharashtra leadership should have pushed for equal distribution of seats among the allies to secure a better deal for Mumbai.
Under the announced seat-sharing deal, the Congress received two Lok Sabha seats out of the six in Mumbai, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) secured four seats.
Gaikwad, while addressing reporters, stated, “Previously, Congress contested five seats in Mumbai, leaving only Mumbai North-East to the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). So, this time, we were advocating for equal seat-sharing.”
Although Gaikwad refrained from directly expressing her discontent over the seat allocation, she stressed the importance of addressing the sentiments of the party cadre. She emphasized her consistent efforts to convey the demand for equal seat-sharing to the state and central leadership.
Gaikwad highlighted the party’s strong presence in constituencies like Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai North-West, and Mumbai North-Central, suggesting that the Congress should have been allocated these seats based on its performance and candidate merit.
While acknowledging the organizational strength of the party in Mumbai, Gaikwad suggested that the state leadership could have negotiated a better deal for the Congress. She expressed her hope for a reconsideration of seat allocation, especially regarding the Mumbai North seat.
Responding to a query about a demand made by Sena (UBT) leader Vinod Ghosalkar regarding the Mumbai North seat, Gaikwad mentioned the possibility of swapping seats, subject to leadership decisions.
The Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held in five phases from April 19 to May 20.
