Congress, NCP to contest Maharashtra election together: State CM

Mumbai, June 14:

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday said the

and Nationalist Congress Party (

) would fight the upcoming Assembly elections together and expressed confidence about the alliance winning a fourth term in office.

He said the seat-sharing arrangement between Congress and NCP, which are in power in Maharashtra since 1999, would be done as per local political situation and mutual understanding.

The sharing of seats will be through mutual understanding, Chavan told reporters

"The seat-sharing will be through mutual understanding where both the parties would benefit," Chavan told reporters at the end of the last session of the current Legislative Assembly.

Replying to questions, the Congress leader said there was no pressure on the alliance after the massive win of the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the just-ended Lok Sabha polls.

"Both Congress and NCP would go to the people seeking a fourth term in office with full strength and confidence," said Chavan, who took over as the Chief Minister in November 2010.

Congress and NCP, who fought the Lok Sabha elections together, fared poorly winning just half a dozen seats between them out of the 48 in the state, where Assembly poll is due by October.

PTI