The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), in a meeting on Thursday, finalised the number of seats that they would share in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to senior NCP leaders, NCP chief Sharad Pawar in a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday finalised the sharing of seats. While NCP will contest from 22 seats, Congress will put their candidates in 26 of them.

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"Once our seat sharing with smaller parties like Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana (SSS), Peasant and Workers Party, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and MNS gets finalised, the official announcement of seat sharing will be made. These discussions are in the final stage," said senior NCP leader Praful Patel.

Former deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar said that party workers wanted Sharad Pawar to contest the Lok Sabha polls, but it's on the party chief to take a decision. "We discussed this issue on Thursday. Pawar saheb told us that he will take the final decision in the next two days. However, we are confident he will fight the polls and that will give a big boost to our party workers," Ajit Pawar said.

The Congress and NCP will have to give seats to all the smaller parties from their own quota. "We sat in a meeting in Mumbai to discuss the probable names for Lok Sabha seats," said Ajit Pawar. He also said that they are ready to accommodate the parties who want to defeat BJP. "The secular votes should not be divided. Therefore, all smaller fronts need to cement their ties ahead of polls. The first joint campaign rally of the Congress and NCP will kick start on February 20 from Nanded, while another rally will begin on February 23 from Beed," Pawar added.

QUOTA DEALS

  • While NCP will contest from 22 seats, Congress will put their candidates in 26 of them  
  • Party workers wanted Sharad Pawar to contest the Lok Sabha polls, but it’s on the party chief to take a decision   
  • The Congress and NCP will have to give seats to all the smaller parties from their own quota