Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election 2024: Thackeray Group Announces 17 Candidates, Two Seats Stolen from Congress Strongholds

For the past few days, there has been resentment in the Congress over Uddhav Thackeray's announcement of Chandrahar Patil as a mutual candidate in Sangli. The Congress wanted to field state vice-president Vishal Patil from the constituency. Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena had claimed Sangli, saying it had left the Kolhapur seat for the Congress. In such a situation, now there is a possibility of a dispute in the Maha Vikas Aghadi over Mumbai South Central. 

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The BJP has announced the candidature of sitting MP Sanjaykaka Patil for the Sangli Lok Sabha seat. Sangli was a Congress stronghold. The Thackeray group has announced its candidate. Meanwhile, a Lok Sabha constituency review meeting of MVA leaders in Mumbai was held last evening. Varsha Gaikwad said that the strength of the Congress and Thackeray's Shiv Sena in Mumbai is the same. "We should get seats with dignity," She said. She had also hinted at contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai South Central constituency if the party gave her an order.

But this morning, the Thackeray Group announced the candidate directly, raising the possibility of a controversy in the MVA. The Congress wanted to field Varsha Gaikwad from the Mumbai South Central constituency. Sanjay Raut has announced the list of 16 candidates in his tweet. However, in the caption of the tweet, he announced the candidature of Anil Desai from the Mumbai South Central constituency. This will now be a problem for the Congress. 

Thackeray's Shiv Sena is said to have lost 21 seats. As a result, four more seats are yet to be announced. All eyes are on who gets the remaining seats, the seats offered to the BSP and Raju Shetti, as there is no alliance with the MVA. The politics ahead depends on whether these seats go to the Congress or Sharad Pawar's NCP.