Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have reached an agreement with Congress agreeing on NCP’s demand for an equal number of Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Now both the parties will contest equally on 24 seats each in the coming general elections unlike previous years when Congress contested on 26 seats and used to get 22 seats. Now the smaller parties will be given seats mutually from both the parties’ quota.
During the last general elections in 2014, the Congress had contested on 26 seats while NCP contested 21 seats and remaining one seat was given to smaller alliance partners. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, NCP won four seats out of 21 while Congress could manage to win only two seats out of 26. Referring to the previous election’s performance, NCP demanded to be given equal number of seats to contest during the talks over alliance between Congress and NCP.
“Communists and other parties have also demanded LS seats. We are trying to convince them that it is not possible. They will be given Assembly seats in an alliance,” said a Congress leader.
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Congress, however, could not say no to the demand of NCP as the parties are focusing on defeating Bharatiya Janata Party and the first time ever the parties are sharing equal number of seats to contest Lok Sabha elections.
Now, Congress and NCP will both get 24 seats each. This is happening for the first time since the inception of the NCP 20 years ago,” said an NCP leader.
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As per the deal to accommodate smaller parties from their quotas, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana will get one seat, from Raju Shetti’s constituency Hatkanangale. NCP will be accommodating this candidate whereas, Congress has taken the responsibility to provide seat to Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi from Palghar constituency.
