The Hindu : National : Shinde denies rift with NCP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 08, 2004

National

National

Shinde denies rift with NCP

By Arunkumar Bhatt

MUMBAI, SEPT. 7. The week-long talks on seat-sharing between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party for the Maharashtra Assembly elections in October has witnessed some tough bargaining by both sides, necessitating the intervention of their central leaders.

The interlocutors who met today discussed how to organise joint campaigns and its planning aspects, rather than seat-sharing.

The Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, denied that any discord had developed between the two partners sharing power in the State. He told reporters that both were holding such talks for the first time and therefore it was taking time.

But sources said that the broad formula that both parties should contest the seats they already hold and also in where they came second, was being skirted now, as the Congress wanted to contest 160 of the total 288 seats and was prepared to give the NCP only 110. Both parties had staked claims for as many as 45 seats.

The NCP wants more seats in the Vidarbha region; at least 25 of the total 66 seats, though it held only five seats from the region as against 26 of the Congress in the outgoing House. It also wants 15 of the 34 seats in Mumbai though it holds only three against 11 of the Congress. Similar claims and counter claims on Marathwada too have cropped in.

The NCP's contention is that the last Assembly elections of 1999 alone should not be the criteria and the subsequent civic and zillah panchayat polls should also be taken into account to determine the "winability" of a party for each seat.

Earlier, it was agreed that each party would accommodate its own allies, out of its own share of seats. Now, both are demanding additional seats for their respective allies. The NCP has started talks with the Peasants and Workers and Party and the Janata Dal (Secular), though both these parties have declared their desire to be on their own.

The Maharashtra Congress president, Prabha Rau, is hopeful that the seat-sharing will be finalised amicably.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National