NCP mulls tie-up with Cong for legislative council, civic polls in Maharashtra

After the resounding success of Grand Alliance in Bihar, Maharashtra NCP today said that it proposes to contest the upcoming biennial Legislative Council and local bodies polls in alliance with the Congress

After the resounding success of Grand Alliance in Bihar, Maharashtra NCP today said that it proposes to contest the upcoming biennial Legislative Council and local bodies polls in alliance with the Congress.

State NCP President Sunil Tatkare told reporters here that party chief Sharad Pawar had asked the state leaders to forge an alliance with Congress and other like-minded parties to put up a fight against BJP-led state government. He said preliminary round of talk for an alliance with the Congress for the Legislative Council polls from eight local self government bodies, which are scheduled for next month, has taken place.

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There will be eight vacancies in the Legislative Council with as many members elected from the local self government bodies retiring on January 1, 2016. Of the total members, four are from Congress - Amrish Patel (Dhule Nandurbar local bodies), Mahadev Mahadik (Kolhapur local bodies), Rajendra Mulak (Nagpur local bodies), Bhai Jagtap (Mumbai municipal corporation), while two from Shiv Sena - Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam (Mumbai) and Gopikishan Bajoria (Akola-Washim-Buldhana local bodies).

One is from NCP, Deepak Salunke (Solapur local bodies), while the other an independent, Arun Jagtap (Ahmednagar local bodies), who is a NCP supporter.

Tatkare said NCP has proposed that the party along with Congress can retain the 4:2 formula, but demanded the Akola-Washim-Buldhana seat, which was contested by the NCP last time narrowly losing to the Shiv Sena.

"The quota for Mumbai is 75 and Shiv Sena has the required numbers to get Ramdas Kadam elected in the first round from Mumbai. We are waiting for the Congress response regarding our alliance proposal," he added.

In Bihar, the Grand Alliance comprising Congress, Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal bagged 178 seats in the 243-member house.

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