Finally setting aside all their differences, the Congress and the NCP on Monday declared that they will jointly contest the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
Finally setting aside all their differences, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday declared that they will jointly contest the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. The Congress would contest 26 seats while the NCP would contest the remaining 22. In Mumbai, the Congress will contest five seats, leaving only Mumbai North East for the NCP.
Despite the Congress party's best efforts, it failed to wrest the Osmanabad seat from the NCP. Former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was exerting pressure on the Congress to wrest this seat, which in the seat-sharing deal was given to the NCP. Deshmukh had intended to enter Parliament from this constituency, which covers his native town Latur.
NCP leader and union civil aviation minister Praful Patel admitted that disputes over a few seats remain, but said they would be resolved in a couple of days. "The Congress-NCP alliance is a clear indication that there is no overt or covert understanding with any other party (read Shiv Sena) in state," he said.
After a getting a series of setbacks, including rumours of the NCP seeking to tie up with the Shiv Sena, at the alliance declaration, union defense minister A K Anthony and Praful Patel projected picture of unity.
This is good news for Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan as it will ensure that the Congress-NCP alliance in the state assembly stays united till the assembly elections in September 2009.
The Congress has decided to offer from its kitty the Shirdi constituency to Republican Party of India (A) leader Ramdas Athavale, who earlier was allied with the NCP. In the bargain, the NCP has decided to give its Amravati seat to Republican Party of India (Gavai) candidate Rajendra Gavai.
State NCP chief RR Patil has declared the names of candidates for 18 of its 22 seats, including Supriya Sule (Baramati), Sameer Bhujbal (Nashik), Sanjeev Naik (Thane), Sanjay Patil (Mumbai North East), Sharad Pawar (Madha) and Suryakanta Patil (Hingoli). Udayan Raje Bhosale, a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji, has been offered the Satara seat by the NCP.
The Congress said it has finalised the names of its candidates for all its 26 seats. But the intense tussle within the party for the seats has forced the top leaders to defer the announcement.
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