'NCP's loss in MLC polls shows anger against its leaders'

The results of the Legislative Council elections in which the NCP has lost three seats showed the extent of "resentment" against leadership of that party across the state, senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said here today.
"We were aware of the ground realities regarding resentment against the NCP leadership. We won despite being in deficit of 130 votes. We won 65 votes more than NCP. Because of the adamant stand of its leaders the NCP lost three seats Whereas BJP, Shiv Sena and Congress won additional seat each," Chavan told PTI.
The Sharad Pawar-led party suffered a setback in the polls held on Saturday for six seats in the Legislative Council from as many local bodies. The results were declared today.

Chavan said Congress had told NCP to keep Pune and give Sangli-Satara seat from western Maharashtra to us. "We had proposed that NCP should give Yavatmal and keep Bhandara-Gondia, but they refused," he said.
"I urged (Congress vice-president) Rahul Gandhi to prevail upon our state unit chief AShok Chavan that Congress should accept alliance only if we get to contest three seats. Finally, decisions are made in Delhi. Rahul too said that Congress should go alone if the demand for three seats is not accepted," the ex-CM said.
In a blow, NCP could win only one of the four seats it held earlier during the biennial elections. The NCP retained only Pune local bodies seat while Congress retained Nanded and wrested Sangli-Satara local bodies constituency from NCP.

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

The BJP retained Jalgaon local bodies seat.
The loss in Sangli-Satara is a huge blow to NCP as it had earlier refused to yield to Congress's demand for 3:3 formula of seat-sharing for the six seats.
The break-up of results for six seats is: NCP 1, Congress 2, BJP 2, and Sena 1.