Maha Cong MPs want party to fight all seats on its own

Apparently wary of the poll gameplan of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Congress MPs from Maharashtra could tell party Vice President Rahul Gandhi at their meeting on Sunday that it should prepare to fight all the seats on its own in next Lok Sabha elections.

"Instead of fully relying on the NCP, the Congress should be ready to contest all the seats", party MP Rajani Patil told PTI, adding this was necessary to avoid any unexpected move by Pawar's party that could derail Congress's plans. Patil recalled assertions by the state NCP that despite an alliance with the Congress, it will make preparations for contesting all the 288 Assembly seats as a "safety measure." It is also saying it wants a more seats.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Congress had secured 17 and NCP 8 in the state having 48 seats. In the Assembly polls later, Congress had secured 82 seats while the NCP 62 in the 288-member House. The state NCP has already started laying claim on Pune Lok Sabha seat currently represented by Suresh Kalmadi of the Congress, who has been suspended from the party in the wake of alleged irregularities in the organisation of Commonwealth Games Congress and NCP are ruling Maharashtra in an alliance since 1999 just a few months after Pawar parted ways with the Congress on the issue of foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi. The two parties are sharing power at the Centre since May 2004 when Sonia led UPA to power ousting the BJP-led NDA.