Maharashtra Assembly elections: Seat sharing worries Congress-NCP and BJP-Shiv Sena ties, Maharashtra political news 2014, Maharashtra election updates, latest and political news updates of Maharashtra

 Maharashtra Assembly elections: Seat sharing worries Congress-NCP and BJP-Shiv Sena ties

Mumbai: The state assembly elections in Maharashtra, which is scheduled for October 15, will be very crucial for the ruling Congress-NCP alliance. The recent victory of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, in which the combine swept 42 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The recent parliamentary election result has come as a rude shock for the Congress and the NCP.

The list of the Congress-NCP candidates will be finalised only after the return of Congress President Sonia Gandhi from abroad. It is expected that the list will be finalised within a couple of days. The NCP leader Sharad Pawar clarified that there was no dispute between the Congress-NCP combine.

In 2009 Assembly elections, the Congress and NCP won 82 seats and 62 seats respectively winning the state for the third time in a row. While the Congress fought in 174 seats, the NCP contested in 114 seats. In the recent parliamentary elections, the NCP won 4 seats and the Congress had to be contended with just 2 seats.

On the basis of its performance in the parliamentary elections, the NCP is demanding 144 seats with its so called increased clout in the Zilla Parishad elections. Nevertheless, the Congress is adhering to its party's policy regarding the number of seats. However, both the alliance partners, who seems to be in a defensive mood have understood the grave situation and have agreed to arrive at a final solution in a day or two.

In the Congress camp, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan carries a favourable public image and has played a key role in taking some important decisions including the Maratha and Muslim reservations as part of the electioneering. However, the Congress is facing a major problem of anti-incumbency across the state.

The resentment is mainly against the attitude of the NCP leaders. The NCP is facing several allegations related to irrigation scam, highway toll-tax issue and increasing load shedding of electricity in the rural areas. This adds to the worries of NCP President Sharad Pawar as many prominent leaders like Suryakantha Patil, former State Minister, Babanrao Pachpute, former president of state NCP Ajit Ghorpade, former state ministers have distanced themselves from the party.

The alleged autocratic nature of Deputy Chief Minister Ajitdada Pawar, nephew of Pawar has also added to the woes of the NCP. It has led to more confrontations with its ally Congress.

src:ibnlive

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