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Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Parliament, Sanjay Raut, announced on Monday that the party would disclose the names of its Lok Sabha candidates for Maharashtra on March 26, following conclusive discussions with other Maha Vikas Aghadi allies.
Raut indicated that the party would release its initial list of approximately 14-15 Lok Sabha nominees on Tuesday, yet refrained from specifying the constituencies they would contest and whether accommodations would be made for smaller allies.
This announcement marks the second release of candidates by an MVA ally, following the Congress’s unveiling of 12 candidates last week. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is poised to follow suit on Tuesday, with the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) anticipated to do the same.
Despite the impending announcement, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has informally revealed its potential candidates for certain seats, leading to discontent among other allies who emphasize that seat-sharing negotiations are ongoing.
Addressing the unilateral withdrawal of ties by the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) from the MVA, Raut noted that while the opposition offered Prakash Ambedkar four seats from his submitted list, the proposition was deemed unacceptable by him.
Ambedkar subsequently declared his intention to file nomination papers this week for the Akola Lok Sabha seat, while keeping avenues open for the MVA to make its final decision.
Earlier in March, the Shiv Sena (UBT) presented a ‘take it or leave it’ offer for four seats, which was rejected by Ambedkar. Later, on March 19, Ambedkar extended open, unconditional support to seven Congress candidates in the state, a move that awaits a response from the Congress.
Against this backdrop, Raut expressed confidence in the alliance’s electoral prospects even without the VBA. However, he reiterated the MVA’s fervent hope for Ambedkar’s acceptance of the offer, emphasizing the collective objective of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party with the joint efforts of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP).
