NCP may take back rebels,talks on

After criticizing rebels and suspending them from the party under pressure from coalition ally Congress before the Assembly elections,the Nationalist Congress Party seems to be bidding to woo them back,post elections.

After criticizing rebels and suspending them from the party under pressure from coalition ally Congress before the Assembly elections,the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seems to be bidding to woo them back,post elections.

NCP leaders are said to be holding meetings with rebel candidates. Party insiders say as the Congress-NCP coalition had secured good numbers the rebels are the ones more eager to return to the party.

NCP spokesperson and state general secretary Hemraj Shah said,Our party would take back rebels into the party fold. Not only the NCP,I believe even the Congress would take back their rebels. Party leaders are negotiating with rebel candidates. We expect the process to be over by tomorrow. Also,our party rebels are at their heart NCP workers. Due to some compulsions they might have contested as independents. Not only NCP,I believe the Congress would take back rebels.

A senior NCP leader,on the condition of anonymity,said 10 rebels who have won would rejoin the NCP,which would take the partys tally to 73.

This would in effect give the party an edge to negotiate berths in the state cabinet.

NCP state vice-president Vasant Wani said, Since the Cong-NCP coalition has good numbers,we do not need support of independents. Many of our party members could not get tickets as the seats went to the Congress in the seat-sharing arrangement. Some of them stayed with the party while some others rebelled and contested as independents.

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