Buoyed by its performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party is now setting its sights on the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. The party is preparing to demand more seats to contest in the state.
According to sources, while the Samajwadi Party has a strong electoral base in Uttar Pradesh, it intends to align with the opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra for the upcoming polls. However, this time, the party is seeking to contest a greater number of seats than previously contested in the state.
"Negotiations are ongoing, and the final decision on seat sharing will be made by the Maha Vikas Aghadi," the sources added.
Meanwhile, it is important to note that the present update over the assembly elections in the state comes after party's Bhiwandi East MLA Rais Shaikh, one of the two MLAs in Maharashtra, had accused the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Congress-NCP of doing injustice to his party's workers.
"We are now becoming partners. Today, the foundation of the INDIA alliance rests on the Samajwadi Party. If Akhilesh Yadav Ji says something, no INDIA leader can refuse. We will get the seats we deserve and the respect we deserve. Seat-sharing talks have started," said the SP MLA. The opposition's MVA alliance in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, are all part of the larger, national-level INDIA grouping also.
"We may be just two MLAs (himself and Abu Azmi), but we can outmatch 100 MLAs. Our ten MLAs will overwhelm the full strength of the 288-member Maharashtra assembly," he added.
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