Chandrakant Patil: Congress-NCP will come to power if BJP, Sena don’t unite

Mumbai: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and revenue minister Chandrakant Dada Patil Wednesday said that if the BJP and Shiv Sena didn’t forge an alliance for the upcoming election, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine would come to power in the state. He also said that the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections would be conducted separately.

Mr Patil told reporters at Mantralaya Wednesday that the alliance between both parties was very strong and had thus survived the numerous tremors in the past four years. He also said that if the Congress and the NCP were fighting separately, there was no harm in them contesting separately as well. However, even the Sena knew that in the current scenario, if they fought separately, the Congress-NCP combine would come to power.

Mr Patil further clarified that his party would not be affected and would come to power at the Centre and in 20 states. He also predicted that the BJP would win 100 to 110 seats, while the Sena would win 40 to 50 seats in the Assembly election and the people would ultimately suffer. None of the political parties would be affected.

Responding to a question, the BJP leader said that elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assembly would be held separately without a single iota of doubt.

When asked about the recent earthquakes in the Palghar district, Mr Patil, who also holds the department of relief and rehabilitation, said that seismologists and experts from IIT Bombay were studying the recent incidents.

Mr Patil said that incidents of earthquakes were limited to two villages in Palghar. The collector had been asked to make alternate arrangements. They would see if they were to be shifted to some other place or be given new homes.