NCP, Cong agree on 41 seats in Maha: Thakre

Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress have agreed on seat sharing for 41 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, the state's Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress have agreed on seat sharing for 41 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, the state's Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said here today.

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NCP, which contested 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state during 2004 polls, is insisting that it be alloted at least 24 seats out of the total 48 seats.

However, Congress leaders, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh have reiterated that the same seat-sharing formula as in 2004 will continue.

Finalisation of Congress candidates in Maharashtra would be made by the party's state election committee which will meet before Sunday, Thakre told reporters here, after a Central Steering Committee meeting on Maharashtra.

NCP is a major partner in the Congress-led coalition government in Maharashtra. The two parties have held four rounds of talks to arrive at an agreement on putting up candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier, Pawar had remarked that Congress should rethink on its decision of not having an alliance with UPA partners at the national level.