Ahead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders’ meeting in New Delhi to negotiate seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has taken a proactive approach by granting approval to potential candidates for 23 seats it intends to contest.
Sanjay Raut, the chief spokesperson of Shiv Sena (UBT), informed The Indian Express, “We have staked a claim to 23 Lok Sabha seats. We have candidates for all 23 seats and have given them the green light.”
“At tomorrow’s meeting in Delhi, we will present our demand for 23 seats,” he added.
During its alliance with the BJP in 2019, Shiv Sena (UBT) contested 23 seats, winning 18, while the BJP contested 26. However, in the 2022 revolt, 12 of its sitting MPs joined forces with the Shiv Sena led by the current Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Raut mentioned that the Sena is likely to field five of its sitting MPs: Arvind Swant (Mumbai South), Vinayak Raut (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Omraje Nimbalkar (Osmanabad), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), and Rajan Vichare (Thane).
Gajajan Kirtikar, the Mumbai North-West MP, became the 13th defector to the Shinde Sena. The Thackeray Sena is considering fielding Amol Kirtikar, Gajanan Kirtikar’s son, from Mumbai North-West. Raut stated, “We have asked him to prepare for the polls.”
Although Sena (UBT) claims to have given the go-ahead to all its potential candidates, it is facing challenges in finding replacements. The party has not officially disclosed its list of potential candidates and is currently testing the waters.
For example, in the Maval Lok Sabha seat, the Sena is considering fielding Sanjog Waghere, who recently joined the party after leaving the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Sena sources revealed that feedback suggests Waghere may not be an assertive leader, and they are exploring other potential candidates to join the party. “We are evaluating various leaders as we lack a strong presence in the Maval area,” sources said.
Previously, Sena (UBT) considered its former corporator Rahul Kalate for the Maval Lok Sabha seat, but he declined, reportedly being in contact with Shinde Sena.
Raut stated that they are refraining from naming potential candidates at this stage. “We are confident that those to whom we have given the green light are strong contenders capable of facing the rivals,” he emphasized.
Sena (UBT) has also decided to relinquish key seats it won in 2019 but still had a substantial presence. One such seat is Shirur, where it had been victorious for three consecutive terms. However, it lost the seat in 2019 to the NCP. Raut explained, “The NCP will field Amol Kolhe from Shrirur, and as per our agreement, the previous winner gets a chance to re-contest the seat this time.”
In Hatkanangle, where the Uddhav Sena candidate defeated farmer leader Raju Shetti in the 2019 elections, the Sena is seeking a robust candidate. The party may extend support to Shetti, who recently met Thackeray in Mumbai. “Discussions with Shetti are ongoing. It’s premature to say anything at this point,” Raut concluded.