Pawar says 'seat-sharing talks possible' during Mumbai meet
Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that INDIA partners will nominate a few people from the group to discuss seat sharing in states to take on BJP. He also said that while parties within INDIA have different ideologies, a common minimum programme will be devised for the bloc.
«Seat-sharing talks have not yet begun.
Going forward, there is a possibility of seat-sharing talks and if there is a decision (on seat sharing), then some people will be given responsibility to hold dialogue with other parties and study how to go about it,» said Pawar while addressing a joint press conference with Uddhav Thackeray, who heads his own faction of the Shiv Sena, and Congress leaders.
Pawar said that 63 representatives from 28 political parties would attend the two-day meeting on Thursday and Friday in Mumbai.
Pawar also claimed that while he was in touch with Badruddin Ajmal of the All-India United Democratic Front who was keen on joining the INDIA alliance, the decision would be taken by other alliance partners.
On BSP leader Mayawati, Pawar hinted that she was in touch with BJP. «Mayawati, on some occasions, has kept a dialogue with BJP,» he said.
«We don't know who she is with. I am not saying that she is doing it now but till there is clarity (on her decision), we can't take a decision on it,» Pawar added.
In response to a question on having Akali Dal in the bloc, Pawar said they won't do anything that could create differences in the alliance as both Congress and AAP were Akali Dal's political rivals in Punjab.
Thackeray attacked the BJP government at the Centre and compared it to the «British rule», claiming that both were doing development, but the people were not free.
