Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Wave of support for Maha Vikas Aghadi in state, says Congress

Nagpur: The Congress on Tuesday claimed a "wave" supporting Maha Vikas Aghadi is sweeping through Maharashtra, asserting that the opposition bloc will go to the polls with an agenda to "save" the state from NDA.

The Assembly polls in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23, the Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday.

Maharashtra Congress working president Naseem Khan said the party will ensure "issues" do not crop up at the micro level, hinting that factionalism will not be allowed to spread.

The MVA comprises Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by Uddhav Thackeray, Congress, and NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar.

The MVA had won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, restricting the NDA to 17 seats.

Khan said Congress has strong candidates in all the constituencies and a list of aspirants will soon be sent to the Congress Election Committee (CEC).

"Names of selected candidates will be declared in the coming days once the MVA allies finalise seat-sharing. 80 per cent of the seat-sharing work has been completed and the rest will be finalised in a few days," the senior Congress leader told reporters in Nagpur.

Khan, the Congress observer for 12 constituencies in Nagpur district, said 113 candidates have so far applied for tickets. He is interviewing Congress aspirants for 12 constituencies.

"A wave in support of MVA is sweeping through Vidarbha, Marathwada, Konkan, western Maharashtra and Mumbai," he added.

Responding to seven members of Mahayuti allies- Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP- taking oath as MLCs from the Governor quota hours before the Election Commission of India's presser, Khan alleged the swearing-in was illegal.

"This is an illegal government created illegally by splitting Shiv Sena and NCP. Similarly, the oath ceremony of MLCs is illegal because the matter is sub judice. The government illegally rushed this oath-taking," he alleged.

Queried whether senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has directed the party leaders from Maharashtra not to be overconfident and to work unitedly considering the Haryana debacle, Khan said Congress leaders are working very seriously even at the micro level.

"Congress has taken the upcoming Maharashtra contest very seriously. The MVA is fighting to save Maharashtra. Every issue is looked into strategically," he added.

Khan rejected allegations that the Congress had spread a fake narrative about the BJP changing the Constitution if it won a majority during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

"The BJP has always adopted the policy of peddling lies. On the contrary, BJP leaders had stated that they would change the Constitution if the party won more than 400 seats," Khan added.

According to Khan, 72 candidates have applied to contest the elections from six constituencies in Nagpur city and 41 others for six seats in the Nagpur rural.