The Shiv Sena faction of Uddhav Thackeray released a name of 65 candidates this evening, declaring that the seat-sharing for Maharashtra has been finalised. The contentious exercise had apparently concluded after weeks of hectic discussions. The outcome, Shiv Sena had said, was each of the three key allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi -- the Sena UBT, Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) --will contest 85 seats.
This will take the total to 255. The rest of the state's 288 seats, 33, will go to the smaller allies of the MVA and some that may be divided between the big three - effectively indicating the formula was just a first draft. So, it appeared, was the candidates' list. Sanjay Raut said the list is still subject to change.
At the press conference held this evening, Sena UBT's Sanjay Raut and Congress's Nana Patole made the announcement.
"Our final meeting with Pawar Saheb has ended. He told us to tell the media that MVA's seat sharing has ended well. We have finalised it in the 85-85-85 formula. That would take us to 270. Then the rest of the 18 seats will be given to the friends," Sanjay Raut said. Nana Patole repeated the same message in Hindi.
Later, when it was pointed out that the 85 formula adds up to 255 and not 270, Sena's Anil Desai improvised: "We have to prepare for filling the form and AB form has to be given, so an agreement has been made on 85-85-85. The rest will be given to small friendly parties after some discussion. Whatever remains will be divided among us".
The MVA allies, after a 6-plus-hour meet yesterday that ran past midnight, had resumed this morning, with veteran leader Sharad Pawar mediating between the Congress and Shiv Sena UBT, which had hit a deadlock over a handful of seats in Mumbai, Nashik and Vidarbha.
Sources had said there was still no consensus on 15 seats in North Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Mumbai -- among them South Nagpur, Amravati, Mumbai's Ghatkopar West, Byculla, Versova, Kurla and Bandra East; and North Maharashtra's Parola-Aerodual and the Nashik West seat.
There was disagreement about how many seats each party should contest as well.
While the Sena (UBT) pushed for 100 seats each for itself and the Congress, and 88 for Sharad Pawar's party, the Congress, ebullient after its Lok Sabha results in the state, held out for 125 seats.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi had won 30 of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats, 13 of which was Congress contribution. The ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent candidate.
Polling for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on November 23.