Sangola seat could become a flashpoint for MVA

The Sangola assembly seat in Solapur district has emerged as a bone of contention for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), akin to the Sangli seat in recent LS elections. Both Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) are vying for the seat, leading to growing tensions within the alliance.
The dispute arose after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dipak Aba Salunkhe joined Shiv Sena (UBT) and was indicated a ticket to contest from Sangola by party leadership. According to sources, MVA had previously promised the seat to the PWP, but Shiv Sena’s (UBT) assurance to Salunkhe has now sparked disagreements among coalition partners. 
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has requested the Barshi and Sangola seats from Solapur district during seat-sharing negotiations with the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The Thackeray faction asserts their natural claim to the Sangola seat, having had an MLA in the previous term. This has sparked anger among Peasants and Workers Party workers, as their seat is now in danger due to unnecessary claims by UBT. 
Reacting to the situation, Rohit Pawar of NCP (SP) expressed confidence that the PWP would still have a chance. “I am confident that the Sangola seat will go to the PWP,” he said. 
Sangola has long been a stronghold of the PWP. The late Ganpatrao Deshmukh, a prominent PWP leader, was the longest-serving member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, elected 11 times from Sangola. In the 2019 elections, undivided Shiv Sena’s Shahajibapu Patil narrowly defeated PWP’s Aniket Deshmukh by just 768 votes, with Salunkhe backing Patil at the time. 
However, following the Shiv Sena split in 2022, Shahajibapu Patil joined the Shinde faction and is now preparing to contest on their ticket. This shift has prompted Shiv Sena (UBT) to stake its claim to the Sangola seat, leading to Salunkhe’s induction into the party and his planned candidacy against Patil. 
Sangola is part of the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, and PWP’s Aniket Deshmukh had earlier expressed interest in contesting from Madha, given the significant Dhangar community vote base. After discussions with Sharad Pawar, it was rumoured that Deshmukh was offered the Sangola assembly seat instead of the Madha seat. However, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s current claim on the seat may disrupt these plans. 
Dr Aniket Deshmukh emphasised that Sangola has historically been a stronghold of the Peasants and Workers Party, expressing confidence in their ability to secure the seat within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. However, he also warned that if there are changes in the seat distribution, the Peasants and Workers Party will not remain silent and will consider contesting the elections independently. 
Political experts believe that such disputes are common in multi-party alliances. Abhay Deshpande, a political analyst, commented, “This issue will likely continue until the final seat-sharing agreement is reached. With six parties participating in two alliances, such conflicts are inevitable.” 
Sangola remains a PWP stronghold, and there is considerable sympathy for Aniket Deshmukh, grandson of Ganpatrao Deshmukh. In the 2019 elections, Salunkhe, then contesting on an NCP ticket, managed just 915 votes from the constituency.