Cong will strive to ensure that Rahul becomes PM: Kharge

A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that any anti-BJP party with maximum seats can stake claim for the post of Prime Minister, the Congress today said it would strive to ensure that party president Rahul Gandhi becomes the PM.

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said there was no formal proposal from the NCP yet about a 50:50 seat-sharing formula in the state for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Maharashtra has 48 parliamentary constituencies.

Congress general secretary in-charge for Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge also made a pitch for the like-minded parties to put up a united show to stop the BJP from forming a government and said there should be "no ego" in that.

"What Pawar said is his opinion. I am the general secretary of my party. We are trying to ensure our party gets maximum seats and Rahul ji becomes the prime minister...we want our party to come back to power and our leader becomes the PM," Kharge was quoted as saying in a party statement.

He made the remarks after nearly five-hour-long meeting here with the party's Maharashtra district chiefs in view of the next year's general elections.

He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of implementing the ideology of the RSS. "We are fighting against the ideology which is vicious from the country's point of view," he added.

MPCC chief Ashok Chavan said, "The Congress is positive towards forging an alliance with the like-minded parties in Maharashtra. Discussions are on over forming a grand alliance with NCP, BSP, PWP, Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, RPI (Kawade), RPI (Gawai), Left parties and other like-minded parties."