Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Congress Reviews Poll Strategy; Rahul Gandhi Urges Caution Amid MVA Seat-Sharing Discussions

New Delhi: The Congress central leadership on Monday reviewed its preparations for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections in a meeting with senior state leaders at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.

The Congress leadership discussed the lessons learned from the mistakes made during the Haryana elections, focusing on how caste-related issues should be addressed. They also evaluated how the Haryana results have influenced the expectations of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies – Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP).

The meeting decided that, despite any challenges, the party would work towards keeping the MVA alliance intact. Central leaders such as general secretary KC Venugopal and Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala were present, along with state leaders including Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole, former president Prithviraj Chavan and Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar.

After the meeting, Patole stated, “In today's meeting, we discussed the entire strategy for the assembly elections. We will present the MVA alliance to the people. In Maharashtra, we will dismantle the divisive politics of the BJP to form the MVA government.

Asked if the seat-sharing formula was discussed, he said, “There is no such issue, the MVA would be contesting all the 288 seats.” He also termed the government’s decision to go for a full toll exemption on light motor vehicles entering Mumbai as “political ‘jumla’ which should not be taken too seriously.

Meanwhile, sources said during the meeting, Gandhi cautioned the party leaders not to be overconfident and to channelise their energy on the goal of defeating the BJP.

The meeting also addressed recent remarks from MVA allies, especially in light of the Congress's 'surprise' defeat in Haryana elections. Although nearly 90% of the seat-sharing arrangements for state polls have been finalised, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have succinctly signaled through statements that they expect the Congress to be more flexible in its approach to seat sharing.

Initially, after Congress's strong performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where it increased its tally from 52 to 99 seats, the party was believed to seek a larger share of the assembly seats.

After the Haryana poll results, NCP(SP) spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi stated, “Congress will have to look at its strategy. Why do they fall short in a direct fight with the BJP? They should rework their entire alliance.”

Another pressing issue is the selection of the chief ministerial candidate for the MVA. Uddhav Thackeray has previously expressed his desire for the MVA to announce the candidate before the elections, but Congress has opposed this move.