Mumbai: Keeping aside the differences, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday said that both parties are like brothers. The announcement came after leaders of both parties held a meeting to discuss the Opposition strategy to corner the government in the Budget session of the legislature from February 26.
“We had no bitterness between us, even when the alliance broke. We are two different parties, but are like brothers. We welcome anyone, who wishes to join hands with us to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party,” said Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan.
Mr. Chavan said a decision on an electoral alliance will be taken by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. “We discussed the Opposition’s strategy to corner the government in the Budget session. We are also of the opinion that there should be no division in the secular vote share,” he said.
When asked about Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar’s statements of not joining hands with the Opposition, Mr. Chavan said he would prefer not to comment on this, since the decision is to be taken by individual parties.
NCP’s state chief Sunil Tatkare said a meeting of all group leaders of opposition parties will be held on Thursday. “An alliance is possible, but there will be dispute on some seats. These issues need to be sorted out amicably. We have a chance to win the elections, only if we decide to jointly contest,” said a senior NCP leader, who did not wish to be named.
The Congress and the NCP parted ways in 2014, prior to the Assembly polls, after a seat-sharing agreement could not be reached. Following the drubbing both the parties received, talks of alliance had begun. However, no partnership was formed in the civic polls.
It was in the winter session of the legislature in 2017, where young MLAs of both the parties called for an alliance for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. The parties held a rally in Nagpur to protest the government’s anti-farmer policies, where the stage was shared by NCP chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad. While the inner circles of the parties are fairly convinced about contesting the State and general polls as an alliance, an official announcement from the top leadership of the parties is yet to be made.
