We are with the UPA: NCP

Amid reports of its closeness with the Third Front, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party on Tuesday said that it was with the United Progressive Alliance but dismissed suggestions that Congress was the only national party in the country.

"We are with the UPA. NCP believes in the first front of secular political parties of India," Party spokesman D P Tripathi told PTI.

At the same time, he said that the party wanted that "we contest the elections as UPA. Unfortunately, Congress did not accept this suggestion (of a national alliance)".

Dismissing suggestions that the Congress was the only national party, Tripathi said that there were political parties recognised by the Election Commission as national parties including the NCP and the Left parties.

"Congress is the largest party in the Lok Sabha today but it has only 145 seats," he said, adding that "the impression that Congress was the only party with national perspective was also not correct".

Tripathi said the NCP has national perspective while the Left parties have an international perspective.

"How can you say that we are not a national party." He emphasised that pluralism was going to stay in the country and the era of one party dominance is a thing of past.

"The early we all realise, it will be better for the country," Tripathi added.

There has been growing closeness between NCP and Left, a Third Front constituent, in the last few days and the two parties had also acted in tandem on the Orissa issue.