Pawar cites Sangli for pact with Cong

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar called for a seat- sharing pact with the Congress for the October 13 assembly polls in Maharashtra to keep communal forces at bay.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday called for a seat- sharing pact with the Congress for the October 13 assembly polls in Maharashtra to keep communal forces at bay.

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“In the larger interest of the state, it will be ideal if we contest jointly,’’ he told reporters, taking note of attempts to stoke communal passions in the state. He said the Congress has to take the initiative on starting the talks.

While informal talks between the two parties were on, formal negotiations would start shortly, Congress sources said.

The Congress wants the 2004 formula of seat-sharing reworked as delimitation has changed the complexion of constituencies The NCP disagrees. The Congress had contested 166 seats against the NCP’s 122 in 2004.