NCP,Cong break ranks in state

Though both parties seemed headed for a split,they have not yet slammed the door on each other,saying a compromise could not be ruled out if their top leaders intervene.

State NCP president Jayant Patel alias Bosky said the party workers were angry with the Congress,as it could not even decide on the lone seat it was offering to his party. “First,they said they will give us Rajkot. Then they offered Ahmedabad and later decided on Surat. This is not the way we want to be treated. We have worked very hard on three seats of Dahod,Anand and Patan. In the Assembly elections also,we have performed well,” Patel said.

Asked if his party has the wherewithal to win 18 Lok Sabha seats in the state,Patel said,“We will field candidates and leave it at them. This will help us expand our base.”

On the other hand,the Congress termed the entire episode as “unfortunate”. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said,“We were negotiating on one seat with the NCP. It is unfortunate they have broken the alliance.” The Congress said it has candidates for the Surat seat and the name would be announced soon.

There had been a lot of resentment among the Congress workers over the party’s earlier decision to spare the Surat seat for the NCP. In fact,some party workers even went on a rampage,breaking chairs and window panes,to protest against the decision. The Congress has already announced its candidates for the 25 Lok Sabha seats.