Maharashtra ton see 'friendly fights' on 29 seats

Mumbai: The November 20 Maharashtra election will witness friendly contests among the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies in 29 out of 288 assembly seats. Friendly fights, however, are more complicated for the MVA, especially since smaller parties who are part of the INDIA bloc are also in the mix.

The ruling Mahayuti's partners BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress, will contest alongside each other in six seats — Mankhurd Shivajinagar (Mumbai), Ashti (Beed), Sindhkhed Raja (Buldhana), Katol (Nagpur), Morshi (Amravati), Dindori (Nashik), Shrirampur (Ahmednagar) and Purandar (Pune). The opposition alliance of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress will engage in such face-offs in 21 assembly constituencies.

One of the major fights will take place in the Nanded North seat, where Congress's Abdul Gaffoor is in the fray with Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sangita Patil.

In most constituencies, MVA allies are contesting alongside candidates fielded by the Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWPI), Samajwadi Party and the Left. The Samajwadi Party has fielded eight candidates and will be contesting alongside the Congress on six seats, namely Bhiwandi West (Thane), Tuljapur (Dharashiv), Aurangabad East (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Malegaon Central (Nashik) and with NCP SP in Paranda (Dharashiv), and Shiv Sena UBT in Dhule City assembly seats.

The PWPI has fielded candidates on 14 seats and is in contest with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in Sangole, Loha, Pen, Uran, Ausa, Malegaon Outer and Panvel, and with NCP (SP) in Katol. A PWPI leader said they had sought six seats where they are in serious contest. "However, the bigger parties fielded candidates despite our strong presence in these constituencies," he said.

The leader said the party had to field candidates wherever it has influence, as it needed to fulfil the electoral criteria of getting the desired number of votes. Asked about the possibility of eating into the alliance's votes, he said, "It will happen. But what can we do? We sought seats from bigger parties, but they remained adamant."