Talking to reporters here after the executive committee meeting, Mr Thakre, along with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, said the negotiations with the NCP are on and a final decision will be taken soon and denied the media reports that 25-23 arrangement had been firmed up between the two.
The report which emanated a day after a closed door meeting of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar near Pune recently had assuemed importance as the Congress had been maintaining that it would settle for the 2004 arrangement of 27-21 seats, even as the NCP was demanding that 48 seats should be shared equally.
”The party has so far not approved the 25-23 seat-sharing formula,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal after a series of rounds with the Congress leaders stated that the two parties have come to an agreement with regard to sharing of 40 seats and the contentious eight seats would be decided following a meeting between NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Mr Thakre said the party is of the view that there should be an understanding with the like-minded parties, including the Republican Party of India (RPI) and Samajwadi Party (SP), to avoid split of votes.
He also said the compromise formula will be worked out with the allied parties while maintaining the respect and image of the party.
Asked about Mr Pawar’s reported meeting with Shiv Sena working president Uddhav Thackeray, MPCC chief said ”Mr Pawar is unlikely to reach an understanding with a communal party like the Shiv Sena.” He also said from tomorrow for two days, the party officials will start conducting interviews of the candidates and pointed that they would try to give maximum representation to women and youth.
”The Congress has favourable atmosphere in the state and in the country, and it will select the next prime minister again,” he added.
This statement is also significant in the backdrop of NCP’s statement that Mr Pawar is the perfect candidate for the prime ministership. Shiv Sena is openly supporting his candidature on the grounds of him being a Maharashtrian.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut had said on March 5 that if NDA’s L K Advani could not become the prime minister, then in such a scenario Sena would prefer to support Mr Pawar. His statement had created tension in the over two decade old alliance.
Mr Thakre said the Congress party’s agenda during the Lok Sabha elections will be to highlight the developmental works of both the state and the Central governments undertaken during the last five years.
Meanwhile, the party had also organised a big rally, which was attended by all senior Congress leaders including former Union home minister Shivraj Patil and former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh among others.
