Pawar to hold 'stock-taking' meeting on LS poll preparations

As a part of preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, NCP president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has called a two-day meeting to review the political situation in the 22 constituencies where the party had fielded candidates in 2009.
NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said Pawar will take a stock of the situation in these constituencies and decide the party's course of action.
When asked whether NCP will demand 24 seats this time (two more) out of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats from the state, Malik said it will be decided afterwards. "Similarly, any decision on swapping of constituencies (with ally Congress) will be taken after the two-day meeting," he said.

When asked if candidatures of senior NCP leaders for Lok Sabha would be announced, Malik said the meeting will focus only on reviewing the local political scenarios.
He said NCP will remain in UPA. "Though UPA is shrinking with DMK and TMC quitting for their political compulsions, NCP will remain in the UPA."
Saying that UPA, with the outside support, has majority in Lok Sabha, he said until it lost this majority, there was no possibility of mid-term polls and (even) BJP did not want early elections.
All the eight Lok Sabha MPs of NCP including Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, and six Rajya Sabha MPs will be present at the meeting tomorrow, to be held at 'Devgiri', the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Union Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel and state NCP ministers will also be present.