Keen to take Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the opposition fold, senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar met Raj Thackeray in Dadar on Wednesday. After the meeting, Pawar said he would talk to the leadership of both the Congress and NCP over taking MNS along.
The issue of forging alliance with the MNS would be discussed at the meeting of NCP leaders Thursday, PTI quoted Pawar as saying.
According to NCP insiders, MNS has demanded three Lok Sabha seats – Mumbai North East, Thane and Nashik – but NCP wants them to take Kalyan constituency. The meeting, which began at 3pm and went on for two hours, was held at the residence of businessman Vivek Jadhav, a friend of the leaders.
Thackeray, who was one of the strongest supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, is one of his fiercest critics and wants unity among opposition parties.
Other leaders in both the parties, however, didn’t seem positive. State NCP chief Jayant Patil said, “While avoiding division of votes, we are also looking at whether a party is ready to follow our policy and principles.” “We can’t go shoulder-to-shoulder with a party that has been spreading hatred in the name of regionalism,” said a Congress leader.
The Congress and NCP are at present busy stitching together a coalition of opposition parties in Maharashtra, which sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh’s 80.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress and NCP are at present busy stitching together a coalition of opposition parties in Maharashtra, which sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh’s 80.
{{/usCountry}}(With inputs from PTI)