Congress-NCP meet to do math before by-election

Mumbai: Some senior Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders met to discuss key issues like Member of Legislative Council (MLC) by-election and agitations against the state government on Tuesday. Sources confirmed that the NCP has clearly told Congress that the MLC seat that fell vacant after Narayan Rane’s resignation was with the Congress; hence the party should field its candidate. The NCP has promised its support. However, both the parties have decided to wait for Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate. The leaders are likely to take up the issue with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to field a unanimous candidate to defeat the BJP’s choice.

The by-election for the Council seat is scheduled on December 7. According to sources, the NCP has decided to not contest in the by-election. The party is likely to support the Congress candidate.  Earlier NCP leader Ajit Pawar had given a proposal about the by-elections. Sources said it has been decided that if the BJP supports Mr Rane’s candidature, which is almost unlikely, then the Congress leaders would discuss it with the Sena and a single candidate would be fielded from any of the three parties — Congress, NCP, Sena.

In case, the Sena and BJP contest the election together, the Congress would field its candidate and the NCP will support. In that case the BJP and Sena’s combined votes would secure them victory.

Protest Politics
Meanwhile, the NCP and Congress have altered their morcha programme at Nagpur. The NCP’s march was scheduled on December 11 and the Congress was planning for one on December 13. Both parties decided to have a single march on December 12 to protest against the state government’s policies.

The Congress is planning a protest march from November 26 to December 12 while the NCP is planning a yatra on the issues from December 1 to December 12.