Cong, NCP to go for joint manifesto, campaign

Congress and NCP will be going for a joint manifesto and camapign for the October 13 assembly election in the state.

"After the alliance is formalised, we will release a common manifesto and launch a joint election campaign in the state," MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre told reporters here.

He was replying to queries whether Congress agreed with NCP's statement that the alliance will go to the people with a common manifesto and its leaders will launch a joint campaign during the elections.

Senior NCP leader and Union Minister Praful Patel had said on Saturday that "both parties will go for a common manifesto and joint campaign in the elections" and that these things would be finalised in three-four days.

However, a senior Congress leader had disfavoured the idea saying "there will be no joint manifesto. Each party will go to the masses with its own manifesto. There is also no possibility of joint campaign across the state."

Congress-NCP's main rival Shiv Sena and BJP are also having a joint campaign and a joint manifesto for the first time in this election despite contesting the polls together for nearly two decades.

Meanwhile, sources in both Congress and NCP said they are toying with the idea of going to the polls on the theme of 'Rashtra ke baad, Maharashtra' (After the country, now Maharashtra), meaning having taken the reins of the country after Lok Sabha poll, the two parties want to rule Maharashtra again.