NCP blames Congress for Mira Road-Bhyandar fiasco

Mumbai, Aug 30 (UNI) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has blamed the Congress for failing to strike an alliance with it in the Mira Road-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation mayoral election.

An independent candidate, Narendra Mehta, was elected mayor of the Corporation, while Steven Mendonsa of the NCP was elected as the deputy mayor recently.

Talking to reporters here today, NCP spokesman Prakash Binsale said the Congress and NCP had contested the elections separately, but after the elections, a formula was mooted that the party with more seats should get the mayoral post. The Congress bagged 33 seats and NCP 20.

He said the NCP had held discusions with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and MPCC president Prabha Rau. Mr Deshmukh had accepted the formula but had said the final decision would rest with Mrs Rau.

NCP general secretary Gurunath Kulkarni alleged that Mrs Rau had communicated her approval for the formula only 30 minutes before the mayoral election. But, by that time, the NCP had already worked out an alliance with independents.

Mr Kulkarni said the NCP has always preferred to maintain a distance from the Shiv Sena, the BJP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. However, the Congress had sided with the BJP in Ulhasnagar and Ratnagiri, he said.

The NCP, however, has tied up with the Sena in Pune to keep Congress out of power.

On the defeat of the Congress candidate in Aurangabad-Jalna Council election, Mr Kulkarni remarked it was due to infighting within the Congress.

UNI