NDA seat deal in Maharashtra for LS polls to be finalised this weekend: NCP leader Tatkare

The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday said seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha elections among the ruling coalition allies in Maharashtra will be ''respectful'' and will be finalised this weekend.

Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra unit president of the NCP, said the ongoing comprehensive review of all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state was delaying finalization of seat-sharing between his party, the BJP and the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, all constituents of the ruling 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance).

The Lok Sabha MP told reporters that a ''respectful'' seat-sharing deal will be worked out by this weekend between the NDA allies.

Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced 20 names from Maharashtra in its second list of candidates for the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

Tatkare said the Supreme Court has allowed his party to use the 'clock' symbol in polls and did not accept the arguments put forth by the rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) on the issue.

He claimed the rival faction had argued in the SC that the clock symbol was so well-known among people that electors supporting the Sharad Pawar group could vote for it, leading to the defeat of their (NCP-SP) candidates.

''The Sharad Pawar group made a piteous argument, but the Supreme Court did not accept their demand,'' the former state minister said.

Replying to questions, Tatkare said Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare, who has announced he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Baramati as an Independent candidate, and deputy CM Ajit Pawar had no personal animosity.

Baramati in Pune district is the home turf of the Pawar family.

''In 2019, Ajit Pawar took a stand against Shivtare to fulfil coalition dharma and protect the prestige of Sharad Pawar,'' he said.

Shivtare has been very critical of Ajit Pawar in the last few days.

Referring to BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil's differences with Ajit Pawar, Tatkare said in 2014, the Congress and the undivided NCP contested the assembly polls separately because of which Datta Bharne (NCP) was elected from Indapur in Pune district.

Patil hails from Indapur and has been MLA from there in the past.

Same was the case in 2019 when Bharne got re-elected from Indapur (after defeating BJP candidate Patil), said the NCP leader, adding Ajit Pawar, and no one else, played a role in the victory of NCP MLAs in 2019, said Tatkare.

''Some people are feeling good about what Shivtare is saying against Ajit Pawar. We are trying to find out whose script it is. Eknath Shinde is the leader (CM) of our alliance and I am sure he will take a stand (on Shivtare-Ajit Pawar row),'' he said.