NCP can be an alternative to BJP: Praful Patel

Says his party has disassociated itself from its erstwhile alliance partner Congress

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel today said his party has disassociated itself from its erstwhile alliance partner Congress and can be an alternative to the BJP which has failed to deliver on its promises.

"In the past, we had association with the Congress in Goa. (In) last Lok Sabha elections, we had no association with them (and) even in Maharashtra we are fighting separately.

"We want to explain to people that we are the party of people, we are a party with a difference and we can be the alternative to BJP," Patel told PTI after chairing a meeting of his party's office bearers.

He said NCP has decided to go to people across the country. In Goa, NCP will organise a 'Jan Sampark Abhiyaan' (public outreach campaign) after the Zilla Panchayat polls scheduled in mid-March.

"We have had meeting with important party functionaries and senior leaders...We feel there is a lot of scope for our party in Goa. We are an established party. In the past there were some setbacks, but I think that chapter is well behind us," Patel said.

Interestingly, the Sharad Pawar-led party has no MLA in the 40-member House in the coastal state. It had had three legislators prior to 2012 Assembly elections.

On NCP's strategy, the former union civil aviation minister said, "We will take up the issues of people. There are a lot of issues concerning Goa, and in the country."

He said people of Goa and rest of the country have seen that all promises made by BJP have remained "only on paper".