BMC polls: Ready to contest all seats, NCP says

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) declared on Thursday that it was ready to contest all 227 seats in the upcoming civic body elections, a day after the BJP said it would go solo in the polls

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) declared on Wednesday that it was ready to contest all 227 seats in the upcoming civic body elections, a day after the BJP said it would go solo in the polls.

The NCP, however, clarified it was ready for an alliance with the Congress, but ‎gave it a deadline until Diwali to work out the details.

“Organisationally, we are prepared to contest all seats. It was just that we were waiting for the delimitation exercise,” said NCP’s Mumbai chief Sachin Ahir.

He said he called a meeting of corporators and office-bearers to work out the campaign strategy on Thursday.

“If the Congress wants an alliance, they should start talks now. Unlike in the past, we will not allow talks to be dragged on till the last moment,” Ahir said.

In the 2012 BMC election, despite the alliance, the Congress-NCP pair was unable to dislodge the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. Now, with a Sena-BJP alliance unlikely, both opponents see a chance to win.