Maharashtra assembly election 2014 : NCP could go alone for upcoming Assembly elections
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- Category: Maharashtra Political News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 20:59
Maharashtra assembly election 2014 : NCP could go alone for upcoming Assembly elections
After the crushing defeat suffered by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the NCP appears to be toying with the possibility of going solo at the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra later this year.
The option of contesting without an alliance partner could let the NCP keep its options open for post-poll arrangements and could also stem some rebellions within both the NCP and the Congress by leaders miffed at not getting tickets to contest as official party candidates.
In an editorial in this month’s edition of the NCP’s mouthpiece Rashtravadi, a monthly magazine, the NCP has said that contesting upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra using the 1999 formula could help the Congress-NCP alliance to return to power in the state. The October election will be a life-and-death battle for the NCP which stands to lose much of its identity if it loses this election. Also Read..Maharashtra Congress not yet ready for elections; NCP begins poll preparation
“Though the saffron alliance under the leadership of Narendra Modi has been able to unfurl the saffron flag atop the Red Fort in Delhi, it faces a challenge in Maharashtra which is a worrying factor for BJP and the Shiv Sena,” the editorial said. It made a pointed reference to the 1999 Assembly election in Maharashtra in which the two parties had contested independently and forged a post-poll alliance.
“Those who remember the history of 1999 will understand that the Congress-NCP alliance will win around 100 seats together and around 140 seats if they contest elections separately. In 1999 too, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was popular across the country. Yet, the Congress-NCP alliance defeated NDA in Maharashtra,” it added.
The editorial further said that the Sena-BJP combine has since then been trying hard to come to power but has failed and has remained the opposition in the state. “This history can be repeated if Congress-NCP leaders sit down and take the call carefully on a strategy for contesting the upcoming Assembly elections,” the editorial stated.
In 1999, the Congress and NCP had contested the elections separately and won 75 and 58 assembly seats respectively. But, both the parties contested the elections together in 2004 and 2009. In the 2009 Assembly elections, the Congress and NCP won 82 and 62 seats respectively.
The NCP leaders are also of the view that it will give the party an opportunity to win more seats and gain an upper hand over the Congress. “If we contest elections separately, we will be able win more seats than the Congress given our strength in local bodies and councils. It will also help us stake claim to the chief minister’s post,” said an NCP leader.
source:firstpost