'Cong will contest 29 LS seats; will cede 19 seats to NCP'

Making it clear that Congress-NCP alliance would continue in the upcoming polls, MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre today said that Congress wants to contest 29 seats Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and is ready to cede 19 seats to NCP.

"The Congress-NCP alliance is certain, but Congress will insist on contesting 29 seats and will leave only 19 to NCP as per the logic applied so far in the matter of sharing the seats in 2014 Lok Sabha elections," Thakre said here.

The state Congress chief cited his party's "improved performance" as the reason behind its demand for 29:19 seat-sharing.

"In the 2009 elections, Congress has contested 26 seats, of which it won 17, while NCP had contested 22 seats, of which it could win only eight seats. Similarly, Congress has contested 174 seats in the 2009 Maharashtra assembly polls and won 82 seats, whereas the NCP could win only 62 seats out of 114 seats it contested.

"If we follow these same parameters, our claim for 29 seats in 2014 election will be substantiated," he said.

Thakre added that secular parties are welcome to have a pre-poll alliance with Congress-NCP.

Union Minister and senior NCP leader Praful Patel had earlier said that both the Congress and the NCP would retain the '26-22 formula' in the state for the Lok Sabha polls.