In the run-up to the polls, several sitting legislators from both Congress and NCP have defected to join either BJP or Shiv Sena.THE CONGRESS and the NCP on Tuesday finalised the seat-sharing arrangement for 224 out of the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra, said sources. The elections are due in October.
With the model code of conduct expected to kick in mid-September, senior leaders from both parties held a day-long meeting in Mumbai.
Rattled by the drubbing they received in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra and a spate of defections from their ranks, leaders from both parties said that the focus is now on wrapping up seat-sharing talks as soon as possible, and launching the election campaign.
While the respective strength of each party is being reviewed on the basis of the 2014 state poll results, where the two parties had contested independently, sources said the winnability of probables on both sides was also being considered.
Spelling out the strategy for a larger alliance of Opposition parties, a senior leader also pointed out that talks with regional outfits, including Peasants and Workers Party, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, and national parties like Communist Party of India and Samajwadi Party were going on simultaneously.
In the run-up to the polls, several sitting legislators from both Congress and NCP have defected to join either BJP or Shiv Sena.
Sources said that both parties are also discussing strategies to counter this loss.
