Not allying with NCP a mistake: Congress

Amid indications that it may be an uphill task for the Congress to upstage the Shiv Sena-BJP combine in the Mumbai municipal corporation, the party on Friday conceded that it was a mistake not having a pre-poll alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party.

"We should have had an alliance. We made all efforts to have an alliance, unfortunately, it did not materialise," Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

However, he was hopeful of the party gaining power in the civic body despite the poor show.

"We are hopeful. We have a 50:50 chance," Deshmukh claimed when asked if he conceded defeat of the Congress in the Mumbai polls.

Asked if Muslims were alienated from the Congress in the run-up to the elections, Deshmukh said, "A major chunk of Muslims are still with Congress."

"We are waiting for the final picture to emerge, then only we will be able to comment," he said to a question if the Congress was in touch with small parties.