As the standoff between the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over seat sharing for the Maharashtra Assembly polls continues, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal on Thursday said that all parties are one from inside and the seat sharing issue was just a drama.
"Only two days are left for filing nominations. Nominations can be filled till September 27. Almost all seats have been divided. Smaller parties have agreed on inside but on the outside they are acting to show their workers," said Agarwal.
"I have said this before and I am repeating that all these parties will fight together because they know if they fight alone it will be like committing suicide," he added.
Meanwhile, NCP leader Majeed Memon said the alliance would be intact if the Congress Party showed some flexibility.
"All efforts are being made from our side. The NCP always want the alliance to stay. However, the only condition for this is that both the members of the alliance, we and Congress party, should be reasonable. If they can show some flexibility keeping the ground realities in mind, this alliance will continue," he said.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, however, appeared to be confident and said that the alliance would continue and win the assembly polls in Maharashtra for the fourth consecutive time.
"I had said earlier and I am repeating, we are confident and hopeful that we will again have an alliance, leading us to victory an unprecedented fourth time in Maharashtra. But also I had said and I repeat, you cannot clap with one hand, there is no one way street, this is not unilateral, you need two hands to clap, you get bilateralism in this kind of thing," said Singhvi.
"So, while we remain hopeful and confident, in the event that only one hand claps, then there will be no option but to follow 'ekla chalo' (go alone)," he added.
The seat-sharing talks between the Congress and NCP for the Maharashtra Assembly polls have remain inconclusive so far. According to certain media reports, a final understanding between the two parties is now stuck on the three issues of CM rotation, number of seats and allocation for Independents.
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During the 2009 Maharashtra elections, the Congress party had contested in 174 seats while the NCP had got 114 seats in its kitty.
Maharashtra will go to polls on October 15 while the counting of votes will take place on October 18. There are 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra.