Chavan blames NCP for BJP-Sena gain in Council polls

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan today held the NCP responsible for letting the ruling BJP-Sena alliance bag an additional seat each in the biennial elections to the state Legislative Council.
Chavan, while reacting to the election results declared today, said instead of fighting six seats together in a 3:3 ratio, NCP stitched up an "unholy alliance" with Sena-BJP only to deny Congress two additional seats.
NCP supported Shiv Sena in Yavatmal and BJP in Jalgaon by withdrawing its candidates. Similarly, Shiv Sena supported NCP in Pune. Even in Nanded, NCP joined Sena-BJP to support an independent against Congress' Amar Rajurkar, state Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said.

He said Congress withdrew its candidate in Jalgaon after BJP-NCP joined hands since the party did not have the numbers.
Chavan said if NCP had agreed to the 3:3 formula leaving Yavatmal and Sangli-Satara for Congress, both parties would have easily won all the six seats.
He hoped the NCP would learn its lesson and ensure its future actions do not support the Sena-BJP combine.

NCP party could win only one of the four seats it held during the biennial elections to the six local bodies constituencies in the state Legislative Council.
The party retained only Pune local bodies seat while the Congress retained Nanded and wrested Sangli-Satara local bodies constituency from NCP. The BJP retained the Jalgaon local bodies seat.

The Sharad Pawar-led party lost Bhandara-Gondia to BJP and Yavatmal to Shiv Sena.