Sanjay Raut's major hint on INDIA seat-sharing talks: ‘Can't see any clashes’

According to Raut, the talks on seat sharing among the key players—Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Prakash Ambedkar's VBA—are near conclusion.

Despite the recent war of words with the Congress party over the seat-sharing formula, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday indicated that the talks within the INDIA bloc parties in Maharashtra have been 'positive' and nearing completion.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut.

“I had a discussion with the senior leaders of the party who are a part of the high-level committee. In a few days, we'll sit with the committee formed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and our primary discussions will come to an end,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai.

"Our talks on seat sharing with Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena, and Prakash Ambedkar (Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi chief) are almost done. It has been a very positive discussion. We can't see any clashes in the four parties...We are in talks with Congress and Prakash Ambedkar," he added.

It initially appeared that there was no consensus among the opposition parties in Maharashtra on how the seats should be shared, with different parties expressing different expectations.

Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leaders decided at a meeting that the Uddhav camp should contest 23 seats while the NCP would press for ten to eleven seats. Congress leaders, however, decided that they should get 22 seats in the seat-sharing formula.

Raut said their talks with the Congress on seat-sharing have to start from zero as it has "not won any seat" in the state.

In the last general elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had won 18 out of 23 seats in alliance with the BJP while the NCP won four out of 19 seats contested in alliance with the Congress. However, both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) are currently at their weakest, following a split in both parties.

Congress top leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday conducted meetings with the members of the party's Alliance Committee and Manifesto Committee here in the national capital.

Briefing about the Alliance Committee meeting, committee convener Mukul Wasnik said that in the meeting, a discussion regarding seat-sharing of Congress within the INDIA bloc was held.

"The Congress Alliance Committee held deliberations with leaders from various states within the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA bloc) in the last several days. Today, their details were given to party president Kharge, former president Rahul Gandhi and Organization General Secretary KC Venugopal. Now, soon Congress will hold state-wise discussions with other allies of INDIA bloc," Mukul Wasnik said.