Maharashtra Cong leaders more concerned about ally NCP then Oppn

Congress MPs from Maharashtra today opposed a suggestion of holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly at a meeting with party vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Sources said that economist-turned-politician Bhalchandra Mungekar mooted the idea of simultaneous polls but Gurudas Kamat and some other members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to it.

Gandhi gave signals that the Congress can compromise to a limit while dealing with the NCP, its ally of 15 years in Maharashtra, and indicated that the party was being revamped to make it fighting fit for the Lok Sabha elections.

The indication came at a meeting with party MPs from Maharashtra who cautioned about NCP expanding its base far and wide. A section of MPs also told Gandhi that the Congress cannot trust its alliance partner as NCP chief Sharad Pawar can spring a surprise at the last moment, sources said.

Some members felt that Pawar's party will not rock the UPA boat in the Lok Sabha elections but it cannot be relied upon for the assembly elections scheduled four months after the Parliamentary polls.

An MP's remark that NCP was discussed more than opposition BJP-Shiv Sena alliance was a telling commentary on the state of relations between the two parties which are together at the Centre since May 2004.

Some MPs also utilised the occasion to convey their displeasure over the style of functioning of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan while some said that the Chief Minister has brought the NCP on the backfoot.

A section of party MPs feel that if the Congress and NCP alliance continues it could help the party at a time when there have been efforts in opposition camp to have a broader alliance involving the Shiv Sena-BJP as also MNS.