The seat distribution within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance is evolving, with ongoing discussions and rising tensions. The Congress party released its third candidate list on Saturday, sparking discontent among some members, particularly Maharashtra Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant. Initially seeking a nomination for the Bandra East constituency, Sawant was instead allocated a ticket for the Andheri West constituency, leading to his dissatisfaction.
In Bandra East, Varun Sardesai from the Shiv Sena UBT has been confirmed as the candidate, further fueling Sawant's interest in contesting from that seat. As a result, Sawant has approached Ramesh Chennithala, the Congress in-charge for Maharashtra, requesting a reconsideration of his nomination.
A significant meeting took place in Delhi on Friday with Rahul Gandhi and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, where the seat allocation within the MVA was discussed in detail. Following this meeting, Congress released a second list of 23 candidates on Saturday, with another list of 16 candidates announced subsequently.
Sawant expressed his desire to contest from Bandra East, stating, “I wished to fight from there, but the seat has gone to the Shiv Sena. I did not request the Andheri West constituency. I sincerely thank the party leadership for their trust in me. However, I have requested Ramesh Chennithala to reconsider the decision. I am a loyal party worker, and I hope my request will be taken into consideration.”
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In the 2019 assembly elections, the Bandra East constituency was won by Zeeshan Siddiqui, who has since left Congress for the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) after the seat was claimed by Shiv Sena. This shift has also led to dissatisfaction among other Congress members, including Sawant, as the political landscape continues to shift within the coalition.
