Sharad Pawar’s NCP to go it alone in Bihar polls, contest over 150 seats
The party has already released a list of 32 candidates for the first phase of elections on 71 seats.
Upset over denial of its demand for seats in the Grand Alliance (GA), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has decided to go it alone in Bihar and field candidates in 150 out of 243 seats for the upcoming polls.

The party has already released a list of 32 candidates for the first phase of elections on 71 seats.
“The list of candidates for the rest of the seats will be announced next week in consultation with the party in-charge for Bihar and former Union minister Praful Patel,” said Kumar Gyanendra, media in-charge of the NCP in the state.
“The NCP was willing to join the GA if it were allotted at least four seats against its demand for a dozen constituencies, where the party’s candidates had performed reasonably well in the 2015 assembly elections,” said party senior leader, adding that they were expecting a generous gesture from the Congress.
The Congress was initially ready to accommodate the NCP, but later things went awry after the latter rejected the offer for only two seats.
“The first list of candidates was released in haste, as the Congress delayed its response to our proposal. Some of the former MLAs and prominent leaders of other parties may join the NCP and contest the second and third phase of the elections on the party symbols,” said Gyanendra.
In the 2015 assembly elections, the NCP stood second in Pranpur assembly constituency of Katihar and got reasonably good votes in other four constituencies of Katihar and West Champaran districts like Barari, Kodha, Rampur and Lauria.
At that time, former Union minister Tariq Anwar was the state president. Anwar, however, quit the NCP and joined the Congress.
The NCP had contested 40 seats in the last assembly elections and bagged less than one percent votes.
