NCP will not break its alliance with Congress : Patel

Vadodara, Dec 7 (UNI) NCP leader and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful patel today said his party was not going to pull out of the electoral alliance with the Congress on the issue of Raopura Assembly seat, where both the parties have put up their respective candidates.

''We expect the Congress to immediately withdraw its candidate from the city's Raopura seat in support of NCP nominee Ashok Pawar since it was one of the nine seats allotted to the NCP in a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress,'' Mr Patel told a press conference here.

Taking strong exception to the Congress' decision to field rebel state NCP president Sanat Mehta's daughter-in-law Dr Purnima Mehta as the party candidate for Raopura, Mr Patel charged the Congress with having violated the agreement, and demanded that the party withdraw its candidate in the larger interest of the alliance.

He said his party had taken up the issue with the Congress leadership to amicably resolve the issue as both were committed to fight unitedly against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and oust the BJP from power.

''We are confident that Congress-NCPO-alliance will form the next government in Gujarat,'' he added.

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