Pawar satisfied with Cong-NCP seat sharing deal

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said he is satisfied over the seat-sharing deal with Congress for the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said he is "satisfied" over the seat-sharing deal with Congress for the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

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"I am satisfied. No one can get complete satisfaction as in an alliance some sacrifices are inevitable," Pawar said.

According to the seat sharing deal struck by the Congress and the NCP, the former would contest 159 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly polls while the latter gets 129 seats.

Asked about his views over the performance of Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Pawar quipped that the television channel had given him a high rating.

To a query whether there was any need for a 'grand alliance' of the Cong-NCP with CPI, CPM, RPI, RJD and Lok Janshakti, he said since the secular forces were ruling at the centre it would not be proper for them to remain separate in the state.

Pawar did not foresee any major problem to the Congress-led alliance due to Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party contesting several seats and Bahujan Samaj Party in the fray in all constituencies.

Ruling out his party's merger with Congress, he claimed that the alliance would "comfortably" return to power and provide a stable government.