NCP bridges ‘original’ gap, just in time

It’s official. Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin is no more an issue for the NCP. ‘‘The foreign-origin issue will not be par...

It’s official. Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin is no more an issue for the NCP. ‘‘The foreign-origin issue will not be part of our manifesto,’’ NCP president Sharad Pawar said today.

‘‘We are contesting limited seats in this election. Our manifesto will be limited to a few issues,’’Pawar said after a day-long meeting to discuss poll strategy. The Maratha strongman’s newfound love for the Congress does not end there. ‘‘I will be campaigning for Congress candidates along with NCP nominess,’’ he said. Setting a target of 35 out of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, Pawar is ready to lead the Congress-NCP campaign in the state. ‘‘If our coalition works well, we can together win 35 Lok Sabha seats,’’ he said.

The two parties have almost finalised their seat-sharing agreement which will be finalised in New Delhi in a few days. The coalition has offered four seats to various RPI factions and one seat each to the Janata Dal (S) and Samajwadi Party. The NCP is not keen on wooing the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) — one of its allies in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.

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‘‘We have left it to the Congress to hold talks with PWP and SP,’’ Pawar said. ‘‘The decision in this regard is likely to be made in a week.’’

The NCP got a shot in the arm today when prominent trade unionist Sharad Rao ditched Defence Minister George Fernandes and announced his entry into NCP. Rao, who leads powerful unions in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, BEST and among taxi drivers and hawkers in Mumbai, is keen on contesting Lok Sabha polls from North or South Central Mumbai.

At the meeting, NCP also cleared the names of candidates for a few LS constituencies including Deputy Chairman of Legislative Council Vasant Dawkhare from Thane and MLC Devidas Pingle for Nashik.

Once an MP, rape-convict Prajwal Revanna is now a clerk at prison library

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Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former PM H D Deve Gowda, has been assigned clerical duties at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after receiving a life sentence for rape. He earns Rs 520 per day and faces multiple charges stemming from four cases, with evidence including videos of the assaults recorded on his phone. He was found guilty in one case and still faces trial in the others.

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