BMC polls: Congress against giving NCP one seat in each taluka

Even though Congress and NCP have announced their alliance for the prestigious Mumbai civic polls, differences have cropped up in the Congress over NCP's demand for allocating one ward in each taluka.

City unit leaders met here today to work out the nitty gritties of the alliance and finalise the wards in each other's quota.

NCP leader and Minister of State for Housing Sachin Ahir said Congress is against their demand for having one seat in each taluka. NCP wants one seat each in about 16 talukas, where, it has no presence at all. 

City unit Congress president Kripashankar Singh said he was in consultations with district unit chiefs, MPs and MLAs, to decide on which wards can be given to the NCP.

His NCP counterpart Narendra Verma said, the announcement of the wards, which will be contested by both the parties, will be made by Monday.

Congress has decided to contest 169 and leave 58 for the NCP for the 227 ward premier civic body, which goes to polls on February 16. Varma said, 52 seats have been finalised, while discussion on six seats is still pending.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was keen on alliance, because the party wants to end Shiv Sena-BJP's more than a decade-long rule in the city.