Mumbai: After weeks of bickering over who will get what seat, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and the NCP (SP),on Tuesday presented a united front while unveiling its seat-sharing formula for the general election. Addressing a press conference at ‘Shivalaya’, the Shiv Sena (UBT) office in south Mumbai, party leader Uddhav Thackeray said that in an alliance, winning is important and defeating the BJP is the goal. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said there are no differences among the allies over any seat and that the distribution arrangement for the 48 parliamentary seats has been arrived at unanimously.
State Congress president Nana Patole said his party has decided to be “largehearted” in order to achieve the objective of defeating the BJP. Addressing a press conference at ‘Shivalaya’, the Shiv Sena (UBT) office in south Mumbai, former state chief minister Thackeray said the seat-sharing deal has been reached and that in an alliance, winning is important and defeating the BJP is the goal. “When victory against the BJP is the larger goal, we have to set aside certain differences,” Thackeray said when asked about the Shiv Sena (UBT) refusing to give Sangli seat to the Congress.
Uddhav Thackeray's poll pitch
Thackeray said there was a strange coincidence of “surya grahan” (solar eclipse), “amavasya” (new moon) and the BJP rally on the same day (Monday). “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech yesterday was not that of a prime minister. When we respond, please don’t take it as an insult of the prime minister. Our criticism will be about a leader of a corrupt party,” Thackeray said to a query on Modi referring to his party as “fake Shiv Sena”. “It is not right for a leader of the party of extortionists to call us fake,” he said. The BJP is a “party of extortionists” and this was seen after the electoral bonds “scam” was exposed, Thackeray said.
Congress workers will fight the BJP and ensure victory of the MVA candidates in Sangli and Bhiwandi, Patole said. “Our workers will never forget how the BJP ill-treated our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.” Patole said the parties of Thackeray and Pawar have been “hijacked” by rebels. “Leaders of both the original parties are with us and Modi calls the Uddhav Thackerayled party as fake Shiv Sena,” he said. Pawar said there are no differences among the allies over any seat. “On behalf of the three parties, the seatsharing deal has been finalised unanimously,” he said.
Thackeray said that in an alliance, adjustments are done wherever possible. “Everyone wishes to contest maximum seats. Having ambitions is not a crime, but when we look at our larger goal and what we are fighting for, differences automatically are set aside,” he said. Thackeray said he has announced all the 21 candidates for the seats to be contested by his party and the Congress and NCP (SP) will do so in a day or two. “People have made up their mind to defeat the BJP,” he said.
