The Congress and the NCP are testing the patience of each other on the crucial issue of seat-sharing for the Maharashtra Assembly polls next month. While the Congress has not taken any decision “yet”, the Sharad Pawar-led party has called a meeting of its core committee in Mumbai on Monday to take a final call after rejecting the Congress’ offer of 124 seats.
The two parties, which had come together to check the Shiv Sena-BJP in Maharashtra in 1999, are now questioning each other’s strength at a time when the BJP is in power at the Centre on its own. Ideologically, the BJP’s challenge has united “secular” forces, especially these two parties, following their debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. Politics, though, is dominating ideology.
Asked on a decision on offering seats to the NCP, a well-placed Congress source said: “No decision yet.”
Senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Sunday said: “No new proposal has been received by the party. We stand by our original demand for 144 Assembly seats. Time is of the essence as the election process has already begun.” He said that the meeting of the NCP core committee, which is to be held around noon on Monday, would take a “final call” on the stalemate.
Congress sources, however, suggested that the NCP should come and talk to the central leaders.
There was no word from the Congress on the way ahead and a section of Maharashtra leaders claims that deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was the stumbling block in efforts to find a solution.
Maharashtra Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said here on Sunday that the Congress is ready to consider suggestions from the NCP but if they remain adamant, things will not work out, according to news agency ANI.
“However, it’s a different matter if we fight elections separately. But we want to fight together and we are trying for that. We are ready to leave a few seats according to their proposal but the way they are talking, it feels as if they are intact on their stand and things will not work out like this,” he said.
“It’s the NCP which is demanding seats... we are trying to think over their suggestions so that we can contest together. But we cannot give them all the seats they want and it’s not right for them to say that we are not listening to them. We are giving seats, we are not being arrogant, we want to accommodate. By evening, we will try to come out with some solution,” Mr Thakre added.
Earlier in the day, former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan said in Aurangabad that the allocation of seats between would be finalised soon. “We don’t want the division of secular votes and want a win-win situation for both parties. We are sure that both parties will have a reasonable discussion,” he said, according to ANI.
In Mumbai, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said a first list of Congress candidates will be released on Monday and he would be fighting from Karad (South).
“A first list of the candidates would be declared tomorrow. None of the parties have declared their list yet. But a few days are left now,” Mr Chavan said at a felicitation programme in Navi Mumbai.
“I have asked for the south Karad seat. I have done a lot of work in the area and brought funds for development in the last two years,” he said. A few days ago, sitting Congress MLA Vilas Patil Undalkar had said he would be contesting from the seat and had opposed the CM’s candidature.
Claiming that his administration has been transparent, Mr Chavan said: “Transparency came after I took over. I resolved the issues of the people of Mumbai, Thane and even Navi Mumbai. The demands of people, like mill workers who built Mumbai, were heard,” he said.