Seat-sharing: Crack surfaces between Congress and NCP

Now,sources in the Congress say party workers at local level are not ready to accept this alliance and the party is preparing to nominate its own candidate for the seat.

“The NCP declared its candidate much before reaching a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress,which actually irked the party and caused friction between the two at local level,” said a Congress insider.

NCP workers at local level were left with no other option but to join the Congress given the uncertainty caused by the delay in finalising the seat-sharing formula,said a source,adding,“Congress wooed them away,and now the NCP is trying to bring some of them back to the party fold with the hope that at least one of its candidates would fight from Vadodara.”

Gujarat NCP president Jayant Patel Bosky said the Congress top-brass has no issues with his party deciding to field a candidate from Akota. “Congress will support our candidate from Akota as decided at higher level,though Congress party workers at local level may have issues with the decision,” he said.

On Monday,around 15 Vadodara NCP workers joined the Congress,virtually leaving the party without a worker. However,some of them are said to have joined back the NCP. “We are all prepared to fight election from Akota. Ten of the NCP workers who joined the Congress are already back with us,” Nilesh Patel,the NCP candidate for the Akota seat,said,a claim that Congress refuted.

Senior Gujarat Congress leader and ex-deputy CM Narhari Amin said the seat-sharing agreement with the NCP was in the advanced stage and being discussed at higher level,though Congress was not yet in a position to accept the NCP candidate for Akota.