BJP-NCP bond in Ahmednagar mayoral poll not right, says Cong

The Congress on Monday said the coming together of NCP, its ally, and the ruling BJP in the Ahmednagar civic body was "not right" and added that the Sharad Pawar-led party should take precaution against it.

The Congress and the NCP are currently holding seat- sharing talks with like-minded anti-BJP parties to forge a grand alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP's Babasaheb Wakale was last week elected mayor of Ahmednagar after polling 37 votes despite the party having just 14 seats in the 68-member civic body.

NCP's 18 corporators, four from the Bahujan Samaj Party and one Independent voted for him.

Five Congress corporators in the civic body had abstained from voting.

"We are making an honest effort to bring all like- minded parties to form a grand alliance. I don't know how much of what happened in Ahmednagar is agreeable to them (NCP leadership). But it is a serious matter," Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan told reporters here.

He said it would be better if the NCP explained its position on the issue.

Chavan said it was a fact that the BJP could install its mayor in the civic body after the joining hands with the NCP.

"But whatever has happened is definitely not right (in view of the Lok Sabha polls). The NCP, therefore, should take required precaution," he added.

Asked about seat-sharing talks among the opposition parties, Chavan said that the ball was in the court of Delhi (the central leaderships of the parties).