Will contest 80 Assembly seats as MahaYuti ally, says NCP Minister

Mumbai, July 18 (IANS) Days after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that NCP will survey all 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra before staking claim for seats, the state minister and a veteran tribal leader from Gadchiroli district, Dharmarao Baba Atram on Thursday unilaterally announced that the party will contest 80 seats as MahaYuti ally during the upcoming Assembly election.

"NCP has started a survey across the state to select those 80 seats where the party is sure of victory. The party will field its candidates in 80 seats. Our target is to contest 80 seats, we will try to get 100 per cent results," said Atram, adding that the party has initiated a survey and is engaged in an exchange of ideas about the seat selection.

Atram further said, "NCP is planning to contest 20 seats of the total 62 seats in Vidarbha. The party has MLAs in six constituencies from Vidarbha seats. The party is discussing zeroing in on the other 14 seats and the nomination of possible candidates for these seats. NCP will try to contest at least one seat in each district. The party’s priority is to field its nominees against the NCP SP candidates," he added.

Atram has revealed that party president Ajit Pawar has a special plan to checkmate the former home minister and NCP SP legislator Anil Deshmukh from the Katol constituency in the Vidarbha region. "If BJP does not have a capable candidate against Anil Deshmukh, then the party has a strong candidate from the Deshmukh family itself. A Deshmukh family member has already claimed that he will contest if Anil Deshmukh will fight from the Katol seat," he said.

Atram went on to add that even if no one from the Deshmukh family is in the NCP at this moment, there is plenty of time for the Assembly election and by that time a person from the Deshmukh family will join the NCP and be nominated from Katol seat.

On the victory of the party's two candidates in the biennial election to the Maharashtra Legislative Council held last week, Atram said that they won with the support of at least six legislators from other parties. "Those legislators, who cross-voted, will join NCP in the future and if they are capable, our party will definitely think about their nomination in the ensuing Assembly election," he added.

Atram’s revelations are important especially when the NCP has yet to initiate a seat-sharing exercise with BJP and Shiv Sena for the Assembly election. Although party chief Ajit Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah last Saturday seeking due share for the NC in the seat-sharing arrangement, the party insiders said that the talks may start after the conclusion of the monsoon session of Parliament.

This apart, Atram’s announcement of the party contesting 80 seats also comes after RSS linked weekly 'Vivek' blamed BJP’s dismal performance in Maharashtra during Lok Sabha elections due to its tie-up with Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The weekly claimed that BJP workers did not like the party’s decision to join hands with NCP