Maharashtra: NCP workers want party to contest 4 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha region, says Jayant Patil

Jayant Patil. File Pic

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers want the Sharad Pawar-led outfit to contest four Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, state NCP president Jayant Patil said on Wednesday, reported the PTI.

Jayant Patil said that the workers want the party to contest four Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha region -- Gadchiroli, Ramtek, Wardha and Amravati -- as they feel the organisation has developed a good support base among voters in these constituencies, according to the news agency.

The region in eastern Maharashtra, considered a stronghold of the BJP, has 10 Lok Sabha seats.

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Currently, the NCP has four Lok Sabha MPs from Maharashtra, but no seat in Vidarbha.

Jayant Patil said that the demand to contest these constituencies was made at a review meeting, chaired by NCP president Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, where Lok Sabha seats located in the Vidarbha region were discussed as part of preparations for the next year's general elections, as per the PTI.

Jayant Patil told reporters after the meeting that NCP workers were of the opinion that the party has developed a good support base in these four constituencies and it should field candidates there.

The NCP leader also targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for conducting a "survey" to show he is more popular in Maharashtra than his deputy Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, saying he should focus on welfare of farmers as Assembly polls are still more than a year away, reported the PTI.

"Elections are still a year away...what is the need for a popularity test?" asked the former state minister.

Devendra Fadnavis and CM Eknath Shinde will not do anything to disturb an alliance (between the ruling Shiv Sena and BJP) which is already "fragile" as they are afraid of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), he said.

The MVA consists of the Congress, the NCP and the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Recently, Sharad Pawar had announced Supriya Sule and Praful Patel as the working presidents of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The announcement was made in the presence of Ajit Pawar, a key player in NCP.

Sharad Pawar had last month offered to resign from the presidency of the party which was followed by fervent remonstrations from the party members as well as other political leaders.

An NCP panel formed to deliberate on Sharad Pawar's offer had on May 5 rejected his resignation.

The panel urged Sharad Pawar to continue as the party president.

(with inputs from PTI)