Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has favoured the 29:19 seat sharing formula proposed by MPCC president Manikrao Thakre with its alliance partner NCP for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
“The logic that Thakre applied is based on the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, in which NCP had contested 22 seats and Congress 26 in the state. While the NCP had won 8 seats, we (Congress) had won 17,” Mr. Chavan told a news channel.
Citing “improved performance”, Mr. Thakre had recently demanded 29:19 seat-sharing between Congress and NCP.
“There are six state assembly constituencies in one Lok Sabha constituency and if it is divided by six then the ratio is 29:19. This is the logic the state Congress chief has applied. If that formula was applied in the assembly polls, then this time too, it should be repeated,” he said.
Mr. Chavan, however, said that the issue of seat-sharing is open for discussion. “We will decide on the figure on how many seats to be contested. Our motive is to keep the communal forces at bay,” the Chief Minister said.
Mr. Chavan also expressed his reservations about the Home portfolio being with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.
“I don’t think there is any state where the Home ministry is with the alliance partner. But in Maharashtra it has been there since 1999. Though there is not much of a difficulty due to it, sometimes problems are faced in reaching a consensus.”
