Maha Cong takes stock of 41 LS seats, to review constituencies separately

Maha Cong has taken stock of 41 LS constituencies in the state while the review of six constituencies in Mumbai and Chandrapur seat will be done separately, state party president Nana Patole has said

The Maharashtra Congress has taken stock of 41 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state while the review of six constituencies in Mumbai and Chandrapur seat will be done separately, state party president Nana Patole has said.

The allocation of seats will be discussed in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) meeting, Patole said on Saturday.

Maharashtra sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha.

Speaking to reporters on the last day of the two-day review meeting of the Congress, Patole said his party is prepared to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls with enthusiasm and the resolve to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party.

'The review of 41 Lok Sabha constituencies (out of the total 48) is complete. The review of Chandrapur and six constituencies in Mumbai will be conducted separately. The discussion has been positive. Congress workers want the party to contest the maximum number of constituencies," he said.

The tripartite MVA comprises the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.

"The Congress has organisational strength in all constituencies. It has a large following. People's faith in the Congress has become stronger. The seat-allocation would be discussed in the Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting. All the parties in the alliance will discuss and decide on sharing of seats. We are determined to defeat the BJP," he said.

In the 2019 general elections, the Congress won only one seat- Chandrapur- out of 25 it contested while its ally NCP emerged victorious in four of the 19 constituencies where it fielded candidates. The BJP won 23 of the 25 seats it contested, while its then-ally Shiv Sena (undivided) bagged 18 of the 23 constituencies it fought.

The Chandrapur seat recently fell vacant after the death of sitting MP Suresh alias Balu Dhanorkar of the Congress.

"The countdown of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government has begun. Public money has been looted for the last nine years and is being stuffed in the pockets of the prime minister's industrialist friends. People are tired of this loot, and they will not think twice before pulling the BJP down from power in the Lok Sabha elections," Patole claimed.

He said winds of change are blowing in the country and people consider the Congress as the only option.

"The glimpse of this public sentiment was seen in the two-day review meeting of the Congress. The party workers are full of enthusiasm. The party is ready to face elections any time," he added.