NCP leaders in huddle ahead of seat-sharing talks with BJP

Top NCP leaders were in a huddle at the residence of former Union minister Praful Patel here on Friday evening, ahead of the seat-sharing talks with Union Minister Amit Shah for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and NCP Maharashtra unit chief Sunil Tatkare reached the national capital for the seat sharing talks.

Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are also expected to be in the national capital for the talks with Shah.

The BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, who run the coalition government in Maharashtra, are negotiating the nitty gritty of the coalition for the Lok Sabha elections.

Shah had held meetings with Pawar, Fadnavis and Shinde on Tuesday during his visit to Mumbai.

Maharashtra sends 48 members to Lok Sabha and is considered the most crucial state for Lok Sabha polls after Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs to the lower house of Parliament.