*Shiv Sena ( UBT ) wants to contest 20 seats in Mumbai, Congress 15 and NCP-SP 7*

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has started discussions on a potential seat-sharing formula for the upcoming state assembly elections, beginning with Mumbai.

In a meeting held on Saturday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) staked its claim on 20 seats. The Congress sought 15 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) wanted to contest seven seats. The parties are expected to finalise the seat-sharing formula in a meeting likely to be held next week.

In the 2019 assembly polls, the three parties had won 20 of the 36 seats in Mumbai, so the discussion would be about sharing the remaining 16 seats. The undivided Shiv Sena had won 14 seats, the Congress could win four, while the undivided NCP and Samajwadi Party had won one seat each.

After the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP over the last two years, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Sena has the support of eight MLAs, whereas NCP-SP has none as Nawab Malik, who was elected from Anushakti Nagar, sided with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

MVA insiders said that the Shiv Sena (UBT) is firm on contesting 20 seats. "The party believes that we are in a much better position than our allies and, thus, should get the majority of the 36 assembly seats in the city," said a senior Thackeray faction leader.

It is likely that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will get the highest number of seats in Mumbai. NCP-SP leader and former minister Jitendra Awhad confirmed it indirectly, saying, "In Mumbai, Shiv Sena will remain a big brother when it comes to sharing of seats."

"Shiv Sena is looking to contest on all 14 seats [it won in 2019] except Chandivali, which it is ready to exchange with Vandre East from Congress," said an MVA insider. In 2019, Shiv Sena MLA Dilip Lande won the polls from Chandivali, before choosing to side with the Eknath Shinde-led faction after the split.

Thackeray is considering fielding Varun Sardesai from Vandre East, which was won by Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique, who is set to jump ship to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Sardesai is the secretary of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the party, and Thackeray's nephew.

Congress leaders indicated that they are positive about the exchange, as the party lost the Chandivali seat by only 409 votes. Senior leader Arif Naseem Khan was the Congress candidate. "Naseem Khan represented the seat twice before 2019 and is keen to contest it again," said a party leader from Mumbai.

"We have discussed the potential criteria for the seat-sharing formula today. It is basically who won the seat how many times and the potential of the candidate," said a senior MVA leader, adding, "All the three parties want the seats that they have won in the past polls."

Though the three parties are open to the Samajwadi Party (SP) being part of the alliance, it was not invited to the seat-sharing talks on Saturday. The SP wants to contest 12 seats in Maharashtra, including two to three in Mumbai, but so far no formal discussion has taken place. The SP is still part of the MVA.