With Lok Sabha elections not far away, the tussle over seat sharing in the ruling United Progressive Alliance has begun with Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party demanding 26 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra as also some 15 seats in few other states, including Goa and Meghalaya.
Claiming that the NCP has emerged as the largest party in Maharashtra, its spokesman D P Tripathi told media persons that the Congress, which is heading the government in the state, should realise the growing strength of his party.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress had secured 26 seats and NCP 22 in seat sharing.
He wanted the Congress, heading the UPA, to immediately embark on the exercise of seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls with allies based on their proportional political strengths.
Demanding that the seat sharing should be 'with the UPA spirit of political togetherness', he said the NCP should be given 15 seats outside Maharashtra, including one each in Goa, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Lakshdweep, two in Gujarat and three to four seats each in Orissa and Bihar.
He also expected some seats from UPA in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Delhi.
Tripathi said the NCP should be invited to be a part of the UDF in Kerala.
Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan at the AICC briefing downplayed the NCP demand, saying such things happen when allies are in talks over seat sharing.
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