MVA leaders think they don't need smaller parties: SP's Abu Azmi

Mumbai: Upset over being allotted only two assembly seats in Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party's state president Abu Asim Azmi on Wednesday launched a stinging attack against the Congress, saying it has not learnt any lesson from its defeat in Haryana.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) should have fought the polls as a united front, but it did not even call the SP leaders for talks, Azmi told PTI.

"They think the polls can be won on their strength and there is no need for us (SP)," he said.

The SP has fielded eight candidates for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls and will release its manifesto on November 7, he said.

Azmi, however, stressed his party workers would help the MVA in other seats to defeat the BJP.

The Samajwadi Party, constituent of the INDIA alliance, campaigned actively for the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) in Maharashtra during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls which helped boost the opposition bloc's tally by bagging seats like Mumbai North East, Dhule and Bhiwandi.

"They did not from an alliance in Haryana (with SP) and lost. We thought they will learn a lesson but they did not," Azmi said, referring to the Congress.

The Samajwadi Party was seeking an alliance in Haryana with the Congress, but it did not materialise as it was being opposed by its state leadership. Belying exit polls and political pundits, the BJP won Haryana last month for the third consecutive term.

Azmi was also critical of the Maharashtra Congress leaders.

"The state leadership (of Congress) cannot work on its own and has to rush to Delhi every time to take decisions," he claimed.

The MVA parties, especially the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), have been involved in hectic parleys ahead of the polls.

"They have left only two seats for us. They did not even talk to us that only two seats were allotted to us. We only got to know about it through the media. They did not even invite us for the meeting," Azmi said expressing disappointment over seat-sharing among the MVA partners.

"Jayant Patil (state head of Sharad Pawar's party) called me. He served me tea and said a meeting will be held with the Samajwadi Party. And after that there was no meeting," he said.

The Samajwadi Party was seeking seats which were not with the opposition but yet they did not hold talks, Azmi said.

The SP leader said apart from him, seven candidates have been fielded by the party from Bhiwandi East, Bhiwandi West, Tuljapur, Paranda, Aurangabad East, Malegaon Central and Dhule City assembly seats.

Barring Azmi's Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar and Bhiwandi West seats, the MVA has fielded candidates in the other six constituencies.