'If BJP-Sena don't join hands, Cong-NCP will come to power'

Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil Thursday said if the BJP and the Shiv Sena don't forge an alliance for the upcoming elections, the Congress-NCP combine will come to power in the state.

Speaking to reporters here, he said Lok Sabha and state assembly elections will be held separately.

The revenue minister said since the alliance between both the parties is very strong, it has withstood numerous "quakes" in the last four years.

"Had the Congress and the NCP decided to fight the polls separately, then there was no harm in our going solo. However, even the Sena knows that in the present scenario, if we fight separately, the Congress-NCP combine will come to power," the minister said.

The BJP will not be affected in case it loses, as the party will come to power at the Centre. The party is already in power in 20 states, he said.

"While the BJP will win 100-110 seats and Sena 40-50 seats, it is the people who will suffer. None of the political parties will be affected," Patil said.

Replying to a query, the minister said elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assembly will be held separately "without any doubt".

When asked about the tremors felt in Palghar district, Patil,who also holds the relief and rehabilitation portfolio, said seismologists and experts from IIT Bombay were studying the recent incidents.

"The earthquake incidents are limited to two villages in Palghar. The collector has been asked to make alternate arrangements for them to stay. We will see if they should be shifted to some other place altogether or be given new homes," Patil said.

Mild tremors were felt in and around Dahanu in Palghar district on Sunday and Thursday, officials said.