Maharashtra: MVA seat-sharing only after Rahul Gandhi’s Shivaji Park rally

With all the bickering over seatsharing for the Lok Sabha elections the Maha Vikas Aghadis MVA distribution formula will be known only after March 17mdashthe day Congress leader Rahul Gandhis public rally is scheduled to be held at Shivaji ParkThe Congress has invited its MVA partners to make the rally a show of united strength at the iconic venue where the party leaders Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra will come to an end It seemed that the Congress did not want anything related to seatsharing to mar the big event though an MVA constituent the Shiv Sena has upset the alliances bonhomie by announcing its candidates for a couple of seats that interest the centuryold party as wellIt is said that the Congress wants many of the seats that the united Sena has held since 2019 Negotiations held so far have come to nought Further rounds of talks can be held only when the Congress leaders find time to spare from their yatra schedule Gandhis rally will mark a kickstart to the united Oppositions poll campaign The state and Mumbai Congress leaders have promised a record attendance at the venueWhen asked about the delay Congress general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala told the media persons in Nandurbar on Tuesday that the talks are still in progress between the parties and the seatsharing formula will be declared after March 17 In Mumbai the same day MVA representatives came together to announce their support for Gandhi They said top leadership rank and file will be present at Shivaji Park where Rahuls family elders had addressed Mumbaikars in the past The yatra will travel to Mumbai via Nashik Bhiwandi and ThaneAlso Read Lok Sabha elections 2024 A new high for BJPRahul promises caste census economic survey in NandurbarCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his partyrsquos government would carry out a caste census and an economic and financial survey and also strengthen the Forest Rights Act that was weakenedrsquo under the BJP regime Speaking in tribaldominated Nandurbar district as his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Maharashtra from Gujarat in its last leg he said tribals make up eight per cent of Indiarsquos population and the Congress would ensure that they get a proportionate stake in developmentHis partyrsquos government will include villages with more than 50 per cent tribal population in the ldquosixth schedulerdquo of the Constitution so that locallevel decisions cannot be implemented without tribalsrsquo consent he said addressing a gathering ldquoOnce we come to power the Congress will carry out a caste census and an economic and financial survey across the country It will be a revolutionary stepwe will have the exact data of each caste and its representation in the populationrdquo Gandhi said The Congress leader also promised to introduce a legislation to provide guaranteed Minimum Support Price MSP for farm and forest produceNandurbarrsquos significanceNandurbarmdasha Lok Sabha seat reserved for scheduled tribesmdashhas been a favourite with the Gandhi family because the party remained here for a record number of LS terms The partyrsquos leaders the late Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and former party president Sonia Gandhi had begun the election campaign from here Sonia had debuted in national politics here and later launched the Aadhar initiative here when Manmohan Singh was the PM The Congress had not lost in Nandurbar since the 1967 general election But the party lost the seat for the first time in 2014 and repeated the loss in 2019 as well The party expects Rahul Gandhirsquos yatra to impress the voters to come back to the Congressrsquo kitty