In another development to the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) seat-sharing imbroglio, an ally of INDIA Bloc and the Samajwadi Party (SP) warned on Thursday that it would contest the Maharashtra Assembly polls independently if not given at least 12 seats from the Opposition combine here.
Almost sending notice to the MVA, ahead of the State Assembly polls on November 20, SP state President Abu Asim Azmi said, "The UP-based party is now the third-largest in the country" and thus should not be taken lightly in any manner.
"We are the country's third biggest party… Don't make the mistake of taking us lightly. We want to contest at least 12 seats in the state. If we are denied this, then we shall not hesitate to go alone," said Azmi in an ultimatum, sending alarm bells ringing in the Opposition camps.
Though he softened his stance somewhat by saying that "we shall finally abide by the final decision of (SP national President) Akhilesh Yadav" — who is likely to visit Maharashtra on Friday (October 18) and help hammer out the issue with the MVA-INDIA blocs.
Azmi's outburst came a day after a group of progressive parties dashed off a 3-point message to the MVA Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-Nationalist Congress Party (SP), demanding an inclusive approach vis-a-vis seat-sharing talks with the smaller parties/allies late on Wednesday if the ruling MahaYuti combine was to be voted out of power.
Loud and clear, the message was: To defeat the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party, the MVA-INDIA block needs to loudly declare and implement an alternative policy for the people in all areas and the big parties must take an inclusive approach while sharing seats with either small or progressive parties.
It was announced after a convention in Pune attended by over 2000 delegates from CPI (M), CPI, SP, CPI (ML), Satyashodhak Communist Party, Progressive Republican Party, Lal Nishan Party and others across the state slammed the MahaYuti government for its various acts of omission and commission and called for unseating it from power.
As part of the second day of the conference Top leaders like CPI (M) Polit Bureau Member Ashok Dhawale, Uday Narkar, Mariam Dhawale, Ram Baheti, Raju Korde, Vithal Satav, R. T. Gavid, Narsayya Adam, Vinod Nikole, Jayant Patil, Anis Ahmed, Ajit Patil Kishore Dhamale, Shyam Gaikwad and Medha Thatte were present and addressed the delegates.
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