To prevent ‘division of secular votes’, Congress, NCP try to resolve issues

As the tiff over seat-sharing continues for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls between alliance partners the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, the final decision to resolve the issue is expected in the next few days. Senior NCP leader and former union minister Praful Patel on Sunday said, ‘No new proposal has been received by the NCP, its original demand for 144 seats in Maharashtra stands. The NCP core committee meeting will be held tomorrow (Monday) as deadlock with the Congress on Maharashtra polls continues.’

Meanwhile, Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that a final call on the issue will be taken on the issue in next two days. ‘Right now a discussion is going on between both the parties. Talks are going on between leadership of both the parties. We don’t want that there should be division of secular votes. I want that there should be equal distribution of seats. It will be an equal situation for both parties and will be good then. The decision may come today or till tomorrow,’ he said.

Earlier, talking to reporters in Aurangabad, Congress leader Narayan Rane said that the Congress had ‘half a dozen’ leaders who were capable of becoming the chief minister adding that the current logjam over seat-sharing between the Congress and the NCP was only about number of seats and not about the chief minister’s post. The Congress was ready to give 124 seats (out of the 288 assembly seats) to NCP, he said.

‘The first list of Congress candidates would be released in two days. It is my personal view that the Congress-NCP alliance should continue, in the interest of the state as well as both the parties,’ he said.