NCP IN TALKS WITH CONGRESS, TMC FOR ALLIANCE IN GOA: PAWAR

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday that his party is in talks with the Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) for an alliance in the upcoming Assembly election in Goa. Addressing a press conference here, Pawar said, “We are in talks with Congress and Trinamool Congress for an alliance for Goa Assembly elections.” He added: “Our party leader Praful Patel is in talks with these parties. I believe all the parties should come together to defeat BJP.” In neighbouirng Maharashtra, the NCP is one of the coalition partners in the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government along with the Congress party and Shiv Sena.

Pawar’s call for an alliance in Goa came amid a buzz regarding the Congress and TMC joining hands for Assembly elections in the tourist state. However, senior Congress leaders have denied any such development at the moment.

Pawar also announced that his party will contest the forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur. “We will contest upcoming Assembly elections in three states out of a total of five states. These three states are Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur,” Pawar said. The NCP chief said that the party is going to contest elections with Samajwadi Party and other

smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh. “The people of Uttar Pradesh are looking for a change. We will surely see the change in the state,” he said.

Slamming Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his “80 per cent versus 20 per cent” remarks, Pawar said the chief minister should take along all sections of society. “Yesterday UP CM said that 80 per cent people belong to him while remaining 20 per cent do not. The Chief Minister should not make this kind of remarks because every citizen of the state belongs to CM,” he said.

“Communal polarisation is being done in Uttar Pradesh ahead of assembly elections. The people of UP will give a befitting reply to this. The CM should take along every section of the society,” he added. Pawar also referred to Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya quitting the BJP days before the Assembly polls. “A total of 13 MLAs are going to join Samajwadi Party (SP),” he said.