Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders held a review meeting on Saturday — their first since the Lok Sabha results were announced — and pressed for more seats for the party when it contests the Assembly elections with the Congress and smaller allies later this year. The NCP, which won more seats than the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, is likely to tell its ally that it will contest 50% of the seats in the polls to the 288-strong house, senior leaders said. However, Jayant Patil, the party’s state unit chief, said in a press conference later that seat-sharing was not discussed.
“We are determined to fight the Assembly elections with the Congress and smaller allies. Seat-sharing will be discussed in the joint meetings of allies at a later stage. We have decided to take all like-minded parties along for the state elections,” he said.
During the meeting, party chief Sharad Pawar addressed the leaders and asked them to leave the Lok Sabha verdict aside and prepare for the Assembly elections. “The Assembly verdict is often different from the Lok Sabha, or other local polls,” Pawar said. “There is no need to be disheartened by the verdict. It would not be difficult to win if workers and leaders help the poorest of the poor,” he said.
Former deputy chief minister and party’s legislative leader Ajit Pawar also said the NCP could win the Assembly elections by reaching out to the common man and farmers. The Congress and NCP fought the 2014 Assembly elections without a tie-up, after they fell apart owing to a seat-sharing dispute. In 2009, the Congress had fought from 174 seats, while the NCP contested from 114. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the NCP improved its tally and won 4 seats, while the Congress was restricted to two. In this year’s Lok Sabha polls, NCP retained its 4 MPs, but Congress could win only one seat.
Based on these numbers, the NCP could be batting for more seats in the Assembly elections, senior leaders said. The party leaders also discussed the impact the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) had on their performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Most leaders who spoke at the review meeting said the VBA was unlikely to join hands with the Congress-NCP in the Assembly elections too. “The leaders agreed that Ambedkar was working in the interest of the BJP and on the need to expose him and his policies among the voters,” said a district president, on the condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}Based on these numbers, the NCP could be batting for more seats in the Assembly elections, senior leaders said. The party leaders also discussed the impact the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) had on their performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Most leaders who spoke at the review meeting said the VBA was unlikely to join hands with the Congress-NCP in the Assembly elections too. “The leaders agreed that Ambedkar was working in the interest of the BJP and on the need to expose him and his policies among the voters,” said a district president, on the condition of anonymity.
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