Sharad Pawar not to campaign for NCP in UP polls

Lucknow, Apr 24: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president andUnion Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will not campaign for the partycandidates in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. ''As the candidates cannot organise a public meeting of over10,000 gathering which is required for calling the party president,there is no chance of Mr Pawar to campaign in the state'', said partynational general secretary D P Tripathi.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Tripathi said other leadersincluding Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Tariq Anwarwill address a public meeting in Allahabad on April 30.

Similary some senior party leaders would campaign in Deoria and other places in eastern UP on May 4, he said.

NCP is contesting 45 seats in UP polls and hope to win 5 of the seats, state party president Ramesh Dixit said.

The seats where the party candidates are in good position areItwa, Rudauli, Bareilly Cantonment, Sarsawan, Garhmukteshwar,Kharkhauda and Mainpuri where polling have been completed.

Meanwhile, the NCP leaders criticised Congress for not following the coalition dharma by poaching four NCP candidates.

UNI