Vadodara: Congress in Gujarat has rejected the demand of NCP for allowing it to field its candidates in three Lok Sabha seats, giving a jolt to the tie-up between the two parties in the state.
Congress declared the names of its candidates for the four Lok Sabha seats of Anand, Dohad, Panchmahals and Kutch on Monday.
Jayant Patel, president of Gujarat unit of NCP, had said his party pressed for seven seats of Anand, Dohad, Panchmahals, Kutch, Ahmedabad east, Rajkot, Bharuch and Panchahals as part of a seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties.
Both were alliance partners during Gujarat assembly elections in December 2007 and that had helped NCP to open its account in Gujarat assembly by winning three seats.
So, NCP is very eager on alliance with Congress for the first phase of Lok Sabha poll to be held in the state on April 30.
Before the parlays between the two parties begin, Congress went ahead with its plan of selection of its nominees for 12 of the total of 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The Congress candidates for the four seats, for which NCP had raised demands, are Shankersinh Vaghela Union Textile Minister (Panchmahals), Bharatsinh Solanki former GPCC chief (Anand), Pratibha Taviad and Valjibhai Danicha (Kutch reserved).
Jayant Patel is very eager to contest Lok Sabha poll from Anand, an influential constituency for the Patels. NCP wanted to put up former Gujarat Minister Urvashidevi from Panchmahals while its two other candidates were Kalsinh Mahida for Dohad seat an Ishwar Makwana for Kutch reserved seat.
What has surprised political experts is why Congress again preferred to put up defeated candidates like Satyajit Gaekwad from Vadodara parliamentary constituency, Taviad from Dohad and Vithal Radadia from Porbandar seats.
Though BJP is having strong hold in the state, it is in no hurry to declare its nominees because there is enough time before the polling date April 30.
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