Cong, NCP finalise seat sharing arrangement for Lok Sabha polls

Congress and NCP on Monday finalised a seat sharing arrangement in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha polls deciding to contest 26 and 22 seats respectively, days after NCP leaders had made statements that appeared to be soft on Narendra Modi.

The two parties had contested the last Lok Sabha polls under the same formula in the state. The announcement was made by NCP leader and union minister Praful Patel and Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan after hour-long talks between the two sides at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence.

‘Further talks will take place soon,’ the two leaders said when asked about reports that the two parties planned to swap some seats. The pact comes in the midst of a series of statements by Patel and Pawar on Modi that led to speculation about NCP’s ties with Congress. They also brushed aside questions on the Kolhapur seat which had become the bone of contention. The seat which was allotted to NCP was won by an NCP rebel who has become an associate member of Congress.