Mumbai, April 30 (IANS) In a show of political cohesion, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners on Thursday held a high-level meeting and resolved to contest upcoming elections as a unified front. The alliance also announced that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, former Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, will be its consensus candidate for the forthcoming Council elections, with the Congress extending its full support.
The meeting was attended by senior leaders from all three constituent parties. The Congress was represented by state President Harshvardhan Sapkal, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and MLC group leader Satej (Bunty) Patil.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) was represented by working president and MP Supriya Sule. Shiv Sena (UBT) was represented by former minister Anil Parab, MP Anil Desai, and MLC Milind Narvekar.
Discussions were also held over the phone with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala to finalise the strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, state Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal said that the MVA was formed on a “Common Minimum Programme” to protect the Constitution and uphold Maharashtra’s progressive traditions.
“The MVA remains committed to the values of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, and Dr B.R. Ambedkar. We are standing together against the regressive politics of the BJP-led Mahayuti, which has consistently misused power and state machinery,” he said.
He criticised the state government, alleging that the 2024 elections were marked by the “misuse of money and administration”, while adding that the MVA accepted the results in keeping with democratic norms.
Clarifying the rationale behind candidate selection, Sapkal said that seat-sharing decisions were being taken through mutual consultation within the alliance.
“Since the NCP was given the opportunity in the Rajya Sabha polls and Shiv Sena (UBT) is representing the current Legislative Council seat, the Congress will be given priority representation in the next round of elections,” he said.
While acknowledging that coordination could have been better earlier, Sapkal dismissed reports of internal differences and described the decision as one taken through “mutual understanding and respect”.
He added that the MVA would align its regional political strategy with the national ‘INDIA’ bloc as preparations begin for the 2029 general elections.
Leaders of the alliance reiterated their resolve to take on the BJP at the national level and the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. They said that for both local body elections and state-level contests, the MVA would adopt a joint strategy aimed at safeguarding democratic institutions and countering what they termed “unconstitutional” methods used to come to power in the state.
–IANS
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