NCP, Cong strike pre-poll alliance

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress Party have agreed on a pre-poll alliance for the Parliamentary polls in Maharashtra which are likely to be held in March end.

Both the parties have agreed to contest for 24 seats each. The parties will also work out how many seats will be given to other alliance partners.

According to senior NCP leaders, the party is likely to contest for the Thane constituency and is also likely to get the Dhanu seat. In the Konkan region, the Raigad constituency will probably see former Congress chief minister A R Antulay contesting, while the Ratnagiri and Rajapur constituency will be shared by Congress and NCP.

In western Maharashtra, which is NCP's strong hold, Sharat Pawar has been able to retain most of the seats with Prakash Papu Patel likely to be contesting again. The Pune city constituency will go the Congress, while other seats will go to NCP.

In the Vidarbha region also, the Bhandara and Washim constituencies will be contested by the NCP which is also seeking a third seat.

There are strong indications that the Union government may call a one-day parliamentary session on January 23 after which the Parliament will be dissolved. This means that a 45-day notice will be given to the Election Commission for holding polls.

For Assembly polls in Maharashtra, both the Congress and NCP are keen on completing their five-year tenure before going to polls.