The AICC is in no mood to concede the NCP’s demand for 65 seats in the Mumbai civic body elections due in mid-February, but Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Congress’ Mumbai boss Kripa Shankar Singh are keen to fight the BMC polls against the Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI combine with Mr Sharad Pawar’s party.
“The question (of leaving 65 seats for the NCP) does not arise,” a well-placed Congress source said in New Delhi on Monday evening after Mr Chavan met top central party leaders, including defence minister A.K. Antony, Mr Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, and the AICC Maharashtra in-charge Mohan Prakash.
The Congress won almost all Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai in 2009; and earlier too it had trounced that Sena-BJP combine in the 2004 Lok Sabha election.
Insiders in both parties say the issue is unlikely to be resolved soon. “What is the hurry? After all, the nomination process for the BMC polls will only begin in the third week of this month,” one of them pointed out.
While Congress loyalists are against giving 65 seats to the NCP, leaders of that party pointed out the Congress had agreed to leave 64 seats in the last BMC polls. That time, the seat-sharing talks failed at the last minute over just one seat.
“This time we are prepared for both — either to fight in alliance with the Congress, or on our own,” an NCP leader said.
Maharastra PCC president Manikrao Thakre is said to be opposing the NCP’s demand.
Mr Prithviraj Chavan, who rushed to New Delhi Monday morning to consult the national leadership, returned to Mumbai later in the day. He said the Congress-NCP negotiation team will meet on Tuesday to finalise their partnership. He said: “There is unanimity in the Congress (on) an alliance (with NCP). The ball is now in the NCP’s court.” He also downplayed any “ultimatum” by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.