Shetti to wait till Thursday evening to decide whether to quit NCP-Cong alliance or not

After having talks with senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Ashok Chavan, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) will wait till Thursday evening before deciding whether to be a part of NCP-Congress alliance or not in Maharashtra, said Raju Shetti on Thursday.

Shetti, president of SSS, confirmed to ANI that he has agreed to wait till Thursday evening after senior Congress leaders requested him to do so.

A meeting of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee is slated to be held on Thursday where the issues related to the ensuing Lok Sabha elections will be discussed.

Commenting on his two-day ultimatum to Congress-NCP over seat sharing, he said: "I should get at least two seats. When I was in the BJP, we got three seats. In the Congress, I should get at least two seats, if not three."

The three seats are-Wardha, Buldhana, and Hatkanangale, the seat which Shetti himself represents in the Lok Sabha. In Maharashtra, 48 Lok Sabha seats are at stake.

However, Shetti reaffirmed that he will not go with the BJP. "I can contest elections alone, but I will not go with the BJP," he said.

The Congress is reportedly willing to give only one seat to the SSS but at the same time is not willing to disappoint the regional party given Shetti's clout among farmers of the state.

On Tuesday, Raju Shetti gave a two-day ultimatum to Congress and NCP to decide his party's demand for three Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

"SSS is prepared to contest 15 constituencies if we have to contest alone," he said Tuesday. He, however, added that everyone should come together to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "but the Congress and NCP do not seem to be serious."

The Election Commission of India on March 10 announced the schedule for 17th Lok Sabha election, which will be held in seven phases, beginning April 11. The final phase of voting will take place on May 19. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.