Abu Azmi Warns MVA: 5 Seats or 25 Candidates

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi has demanded five seats from MVA allies.
Azmi threatened to contest 25 seats if his demand isn’t met.
Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with results on November 23.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

Abu Asim Azmi, Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader, has issued a stern warning to his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, demanding five seats. He set a Saturday afternoon deadline for his MVA allies to agree; otherwise, he intends to field candidates on 25 seats.

Azmi, a three-time MLA from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, met Sharad Pawar on Friday at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai, asking the alliance to support his party on specific seats, including Bhiwandi East and Mankhurd, where SP has sitting MLAs, and on other seats like Bhiwandi West, Malegaon, and Dhule.

Warning against a split in Muslim votes, Azmi cited the Congress’s loss in the Haryana election as a result of sidelining minority representation. He emphasized, “If minorities are excluded, the vote split could lead to outcomes similar to Haryana’s.”

The single-phase Maharashtra Assembly election is scheduled for November 20, with results on November 23. Congress, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, and Shiv Sena (UBT) have all released candidate lists for the election.