NCP DEMAND MORE SEATS IN MAHA ASSEMBLY ELECTION

With the Lok Sabha polls leaving Congress in a bad shape, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP wants its alliance partner to cede more seats to it to contest in the state Assembly polls due in four months. This was the refrain from party leaders at a meeting addressed by Pawar here this afternoon. The NCP chief reviewed the party's preparedness for the upcoming polls as the Congress-NCP alliance readies to retain power for the fourth consecutive term. "We want more seats to contest in the Assembly polls based on our showing in the recent Lok Sabha polls," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told PTI after the meeting. "A meeting of the two parties should be convened soon to discuss seat sharing. We feel we should get seat share based on our strength," Malik said. NCP won four Lok Sabha seats whereas Congress got just two in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls. During the last Assembly polls in 2009, the NCP had contested in 114 seats and Congress in 174 in the 288-member House. NCP also wants Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to take quick decisions on issues like reservations for Marathas (in government jobs and educational institutions) and LBT. "We feel the (Chavan) government should take fast decisions as we have to face elections based on our performance," Malik said, adding that the Congress should also take into account NCP's increased strength in the local bodies' polls in the state.