The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will leave 38 of the 288 Assembly seats for other allies and smaller parties in the upcoming elections. At a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday night, seat-sharing on 90% of the remaining 250 seats was finlaised.
The decision to carve out 38 seats to smaller parties also means that both Congress and the NCP have lost hope of any alliance with Prakash Ambedkar–led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) of which All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is also a part. The 38 seats are likely to be shared by Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), Raju Shetti–led Swabhminai Shetkari Sanghtana (SSS), Communist Party of India (Marxist), other Ambedkarite and left parties.
With 250 seats to be shared between Congress and the NCP, the exact number of seats each will be contesting is likely to be announced shortly.
“We have already announced that we want to finalise the seat-sharing at the earliest and declare the first list of candidates, work on which is in progress. It should be out in a few days,” said a senior Congress leader who attended the meeting.
The leader said both parties are firm on contesting the polls together. “We are very clear on our priorities. Winnability is the only criteria while deciding on seat sharing. There are no favourites of anyone,” he said.
The screening committee of the Congress for Maharashtra polls will meet in New Delhi on Thursday, where the list of candidates will be presented and is likely to be finalised. The Hindu had last week had reported that the Congress wants to come out with its list of 100 candidates at the earliest to give candidates an early start to campaigning.
However, the Congress and NCP have been unable to reach a consensus on Indapur Assembly seat, held by NCP’s Dattatray Bharne and once a stronghold of senior Congress leader Harshvardhan Patil. “There are disputes on few seats. These will be resolved in front of Congress and NCP presidents in Delhi,” said the Congress leader.
Published - September 05, 2019 01:56 am IST
