Uddhav Thackeray Announces Candidates from North-West Mumbai: Sanjay Nirupam Claims Shiv Sena Chief Disrespecting Congress

In Maharashtra, there has been ongoing friction within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, consisting of two parties, the Shiv Sena (SS) and the Congress. In reality, Shiv Sena’s chief, Uddhav Thackeray, announced on Saturday (March 9th) that Amol Kirtikar would be their candidate from North-West Mumbai.

Regarding this, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam expressed on social media platform that he considered Shiv Sena’s candidate selection as a joke, criticizing them and referring to Shiv Sena as both the largest and the smallest party.

Nirupam posted 4 things on social media:

1. Shiv Sena’s fluctuating status in the coalition: Yesterday evening, Shiv Sena’s leader announced the MVA candidate from North-West Mumbai. Talks are ongoing, and a final decision regarding seat allocation hasn’t been made despite two dozen MVA meetings.
2. Controversy over Shiv Sena’s candidate announcement: Despite pending discussions on seat allocation in 8-9 remaining meetings, Shiv Sena announced their candidate. Congress leaders participating in these meetings might feel disrespected by Shiv Sena’s unilateral decision.
3. Shiv Sena’s candidate is a controversy: The selected candidate’s name has been checked against the khichdi suppliers. What’s the controversy? During the COVID era, BMC organized a commendable program to provide free meals to migrant workers.
4. Will leaders of Shiv Sena and Congress promote this controversy? Shiv Sena’s proposed candidate received commissions for feeding the poor. The ED is investigating the entire matter. Will Congress and Shiv Sena leaders promote this controversy? Both parties’ leadership is in question regarding this issue.
   

In Mumbai, there’s a battle between Congress and Shiv Sena for 6 seats.

In Maharashtra, there are a total of 48 Lok Sabha seats. The state is under the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, which includes Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress. Out of the 48 seats, there’s no agreement among the three parties regarding the allocation of seats on 8 constituencies.

Out of these, 6 seats are in Mumbai. According to sources, Congress demands to contest on 3 out of 6 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai. These include Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North Central, and Mumbai North West. Whereas Uddhav Thackeray seeks to contest on a total of 18 seats, including 4 in Mumbai. These include Mumbai South, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, and Mumbai South Central.