NCP, Congress may lure upset MPs with promises of Lok Sabha tickets

With the Shiv Sena and BJP firming up their alliance, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have begun their own pre-poll calculations, even making overtures to Sena and BJP leaders who are likely to miss out.

A senior Congress leader said both Sena and BJP had been preparing the ground to go it alone in the state. “Some Sena people had even started campaigning. On the other side, BJP too had lost hope of stitching an alliance with Sena, and many BJP leaders had also begun preparing for the polls. An alliance means leaders from both sets will miss out on tickets. They can be potential candidates for us. We will give them tickets,” said a Congress leader on condition of anonymity.

Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan also said they are in contact with several Sena and BJP leaders. “Sena has cheated people of Maharashtra and its own party workers. A party that’s not loyal to its own people can never be faithful to voters,” Chavan said.

He added that the party is happy with the alliance as anti-incumbency votes will not get split now. “The alliance will actually help us. Voters will flock to us. Everybody is unhappy with the alliance, but people are shrewd now,” he said.

In Pune, sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade has expressed his displeasure with his parent party, and the Congress may field him from Pune. In Jalgaon, meanwhile, RO Patil was asked by the Sena leadership to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls. However, following the alliance, he may miss out on a ticket. If that happens, he is likely to switch sides.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said leaders of the two parties may have shared stage to announce the alliance. “But hardcore Sainiks will not forget the animosity the parties have shared at the local level. This will damage them in a big way,” he said.

Malik confirmed that many Sena and BJP leaders are in touch with them. “We are in the final stages of our seat-sharing talks. Once it’s over, we will start declaring the names of our possible candidates,” he said.