By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress and its United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Wednesday struck an alliance in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan told reporters that the two parties had arrived at a seat-sharing arrangement for 40 of the 48 seats in the state.
“The Congress will contest 21 seats while the NCP will field 19 candidates,” Chavan said, after a meeting of the Congress’ screening committee for Maharashtra.
Conngress sources said the NCP, which contested 21 seats as part of an alliance with the Congress in the 2004 elections, had demanded 24 seats.
The NCP is part of the Congress-led coalition government in Maharashtra.