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Thursday, Oct 25, 2007
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NCP calls for united front to defeat Modi

Special Correspondent

Appeals to all secular parties

Sangma to be chief ministerial candidate for Meghalaya
Announces merger of Orissa Gana Parishad with it

NEW DELHI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday appealed to all secular parties to form a united front in Gujarat to defeat the BJP government headed by Narendra Modi.

After its one-day working committee meeting here, the party declared the former Lok Sabha Speaker, P.A. Sangma, as its chief ministerial candidate for Meghalaya, which will be going to the polls later this year. The party would contest 58 of the 60 seats.

The NCP also announced the merger of the Orissa Gana Parishad with it.

Among those who attended the meeting, chaired by party president Sharad Pawar, were the former Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, Mr. Sangma and general secretary Tariq Anwar. Among the absentees were Chagan Bhujbal, R.R. Patil, Bijaya Sinh Mohite-Patil and Praful Patel.

Party spokesman D.P. Tripathi told journalists that the NCP was seeking 25 out of 182 seats in alliance with the Congress in Gujarat. Mr. Praful Patel would initiate talks with the Congress.

“We want the secular votes in Gujarat to remain intact so that Narendra Modi is defeated,” said Mr. Tripathi.

Asked whether such a front would include the Bahujan Samaj Party, he said that though Mayawati had announced the number of seats on which her party would contest, the front would include all parties so that there was no division in secular votes.

To a question whether the Samajwadi Party would form a part of the front, he said: “Much would depend on which constituent is strong in which seat.”

Nuclear deal

On the nuclear deal with the United States, Mr. Tripathi said his party supported it.

“There is no need to rethink. The Cabinet has supported the deal. At the same time concerns about supporting parties must be addressed.”

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