New Delhi: Congress on Monday night remained
non-committal on the issue of alliance with NCP for assembly
polls in Maharashtra but ruled out agreeing to the
formulation, agreed to by the two parties in the previous
poll, if it goes for seat-sharing afresh.
"I am not ruling it in. I am not ruling it out", party
spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said adding "no final decision has
been taken either way and ...everything is open".
He said that in Maharashtra it is "work-in-progress"
situation and a decision will be taken in the "best interests
of Maharashtra and Congress".
Singhvi said that in view of Lok Sabha election results
and the change in constituencies in the wake of the
delimitation, " it is not going to be the same old pattern,
the same old formulation" in seat-sharing.
In the seat-sharing for the last assembly poll in
2004, Congress had got 156 seats and NCP 116.
He denied suggestions that Congress was riding a high
horse in view of its good show in Lok Sabha polls and was
giving the state on a platter to the opposition by not
going in for alliance with NCP.
NCP General Secretary and Union Minister Praful Patel
said the fact that talks between the two parties have not yet
started was a "cause for anxiety and worry". "Our only concern
is that it is getting too late".
He said NCP was keen that the alliance to continues.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, September 07, 2009, 22:52