NCP core group to review modalities

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will declare its party line at its national executive, to be held on August 1 in Patna, days after announcing that the party would forge an alliance of secular parties on the grounds that its major ally, Congress, was not giving it adequate political space.

The party would spell out its electoral strategy for poll-bound states like Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Besides, the NCP is expected to reiterate its position of not merging with the Congress party to maintain its own identity.

The NCP's core committee would meet on July 15 in the capital to discuss various modalities including draft political, economic resolutions for the August 1 meeting. "The meeting slated for July 15 will review the preparations for the party's national executive and convention to be held on August 1 in Patna. The NCP will certainly discuss the present political condition in the country and party's growth strategy," NCP general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Govindrao Adik said.

The NCP, which completed 11 years of existence on June 10, had deferred its celebrations and the national executive, which were proposed to be held on June 17-18, in the wake of controversies involving party chief Sharad Pawar and his MP daughter Supriya Sule over the Indian Premier League.

However, the party proposes to hold the national executive in Patna ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, slated for September-October.

A core committee member of the party, who did not want to be quoted, said the national executive was crucial especially when Pawar had ruled out a merger with the Congress. Besides, the NCP would aim at increasing its presence nationally and reach out to various sections. "As explained by the party general secretary D P Tripathi, the NCP being a UPA coalition is not keen to disturb the present arrangement at the national level. However, the party is free to pursue its growth plans if the Congress is not serious to give it a political space," he added.

The NCP has already declared its intention to join the ruling Left Front in Kerala.