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Cong compromised on seat-sharing for LS polls: Patole
Congress state unit president Nana Patole on Saturday claimed that like the NCP (SP), the national party too compromised on seat-sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Pune: Congress state unit president Nana Patole on Saturday claimed that like the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), the national party too compromised on seat-sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
A day before, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had made the statement that the party decided to fight on less seats to keep the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance united.
“The Congress too also took the same stand (as Sharad Pawar’s party) for the LS polls,” said Patole who was in the city to review the party’s defeat in Pune Lok Sabha seat.
Patole said, “Except the Cantonment Assembly Constituency, the Congress got less votes in all the five-assembly constituency. There are complaints that some workers in Pune did not work hard and helped the opposition party’s candidate. I will collect information and the party will take necessary steps.”
Meanwhile, Patole said the BJP was deceiving the Maratha community and Other Backward Classes over reservations.
He claimed that deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrashekar Bawankule have different positions on the reservation issue.
“Bawankule says reservations above 50 per cent cannot be maintained. Fadnavis says reservations above 50 per cent can be given. There are two different opinions on the reservation issue among BJP leaders. They should clarify their exact stance,” he said.
“Conducting a caste-wise census through social, economic, and educational surveys and removing the 50 per cent limit is the only solution to the reservation issue,” he said.
All are equal stakeholders: Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday stressed that all are equal stakeholders in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. His comment comes after Pawar said that although his outfit contested fewer Lok Sabha seats, the situation would be different in the Maharashtra assembly polls.
Talking to reporters, Raut said seat-sharing talks have not commenced among the MVA allies for the Maharashtra assembly polls scheduled later this year.
“Seat-sharing talks have not yet commenced - neither with the NCP (SP) nor the Congress. So, the question of who will contest how many seats doesn’t arise. All are equal stakeholders,” he said.
In the 2024 LS polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit had got the lion’s share of seats in the MVA, which also includes the NCP (SP) and the Congress. The MVA won 30 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, with the Congress emerging as the top party with 13 wins.
Of the three MVA parties, NCP (SP) strike rate was 80 per cent, the Congress’ 75 and the Sena, which contested the maximum number of seats, was 41 per cent.
“There are 288 (assembly) seats (in Maharashtra). There will be no shortage of seats for anyone. Everyone will contest comfortably,” Raut said.
(With agency inputs)
