Samajwadi Party wants 12 seats as part of MVA to contest in Maharashtra Assembly election: Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Yadav. File Pic

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has asked for 12 seats as part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday, even as the alliance is yet to declare its seat-sharing arrangement for upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election 2024, reported the PTI.

Talking to reporters in north Maharashtra's Dhule district, Akhilesh Yadav said that his party has declared candidates for five seats.

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Yadav said his party is the one that is satisfied with a few seats.

"We have asked for 12 seats (as part of the MVA)," he said, adding that the SP has shared details of the seats where it has a strong presence, according to the PTI.

The Samajwadi Party's assertion has come at a time when the MVA constituents are in a stalemate over seat-sharing.

On Saturday, the Samajwadi Party declared the candidature of Irshad Jahagirdar from Dhule city, making him the fifth candidate of the party so far.

The party on Friday declared sitting MLA Rais Shaikh's candidature from Bhiwandi East, Riyaz Azmi from Bhiwandi West and Shaan-E-Hind from Malegaon Central. The SP's state president, Abu Asim Azmi, is a sitting MLA from the Shivajinagar-Mankhurd seat, as per the PTI.

Akhilesh Yadav addressed rallies in Maharashtra's Malegaon on Friday and Dhule on Saturday.

Talking to PTI, Abu Azmi said, "We have declared five candidates so that they (MVA) know that we are strong here, or else they will tell us in the meeting that your candidate is not very strong. We have shown that we are asking for seats where we are strong."

Azmi said that the Congress has not won the Bhiwandi East seat since 1999.

"Only we will win this seat. They should not regret it like Haryana later (if the MVA fields a candidate from the seat)," he said, the news agency reported on Saturday.

Abu Azmi said MVA leaders have spoken to him and assured him about seats.

Founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP is a constituent of the opposition's INDIA bloc at the national level. The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP)and the left parties are also part of the MVA.

In Maharashtra, three parties - Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) -- which are also part of the INDIA bloc, are contesting the elections as part of the MVA alliance.

The assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and the results will be announced on November 23.

(with PTI inputs)