NCP to bolster Lok Sabha tally to help Pawar's 'national' role

Nationalist Congress Party today said it is looking for maximum seats in Lok Sabha elections so that its senior leader Sharad Pawar gets sizable numerical strength to play his "role" in national politics.
Newly-appointed president Bhaskar Jadhav and working president Jitendra Awhad met district unit chiefs, frontal organisation heads, conveners and co-ordinators appointed for various districts to discuss the party strategy and chalk out a plan for the road ahead.
"We contest 22 Lok Sabha seats, but win only eight. So we have resolved to strengthen our organisation and work hard to win more Lok Sabha seats, so that Pawar 'saheb' can play a role in national politics," Jadhav said.

Awhad said if Janata Dal (United) can win 22 seats from Bihar after contesting 25 seats, NCP should get atleast 16 after contesting 22 Lok Sabha seats.
Jadhav said that he wanted his party to face opposition attacks and not be on the defensive.
"We have to respond to criticism and baseless allegations forcefully and in a democratic way," Jadhav said.
Since Lok Sabha elections are barely a year away, he said that his party should strengthen its mass base on the strength of development works undertaken.