MLC polls: NCP proposes one seat, Congress disposes

Ahead of the legislative council (MLC) poll, the unrest in the Congress over its alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has escalated. With the NCP offering the Congress only one seat and retaining the other five seats, the latter feels humiliated. Congress legislator Gopaldas Agrawal has said that the party would face rebellion if the high command agrees to this humiliating seat sharing formula with the NCP. The MLC polls would be held on November 19 for six posts via local body constituencies.

According to an insider, NCP leader Praful Patel has offered the Congress one seat of Nanded represented by Amarnath Rajurkar (Congress). It wants to contest the remaining five seats of Jalgaon, Yavatmal, Pune-Pimpri-Chinchwad, Satara-Sangli and Bhandara-Gondia. Stating that in a meeting held last week, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had said, “time has comes to break the line”. Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said, “We cannot accept each and every condition the NCP sets. Our strength lies in Sangli-Satara, Yavatmal, Bhandara-Gondia and Nanded-Waghala local body constituencies.”

The insider said that while former minister Patangrao Kadam has been promoting his brother Madan Patil in the Sangli-Satara constituency, Gondia MLA Gopaldas Agrawal has been pushing for his son in Bhandara-Gondia.

Mr Agrawal said his son would contest the polls from Bhandara-Gondia against the outgoing MLC Rajendra Jain, who is a close confidante of Mr Patel. “Even if the high command does not allow us to snap ties with the NCP, we would contest Bhandara separately,” he said.

Deputy chairman of state legislative council Manikrao Thakre said a decision about the alliance would be taken soon.