Delhi polls: NCP's first list, manifesto after Diwali

New Delhi, Oct 25: The Nationalist Congress Party has said it will release the first list of

, along with its manifesto for Delhi Assembly polls after

festival.

"The manifesto as well as the first list of candidates will now be released shortly after Diwali. We were earlier planning to release manifesto before Diwali, but some more time is required to prepare it," Delhi NCP chief Kanwar Pratap Singh said at a press conference here today. The party said it will field candidates on all 70 seats.

"We will field candidates on all 70 constituencies, and for every seat we have 3-4 applications," Singh said. He said Party president Sharad Pawar and general secretary Tariq Anwar want tickets to be given to only those who carry clean image and are acceptable to every section of people.

"We had limited participation during last polls in Delhi, where we contested on not more than 15 seats, but this time, we have decided to contest like a national party, Singh said. He claimed that the party has been getting immense support from businessmen as well as intelligentsia in their election campaign, contrary to the "belief of political parties that they (the parties) have monopoly over them."

The party said it will field candidates on all 70 seats.

"Lion's Club president Vipin Kumar Goyal and Bhagwati Prasad Nishad, general secretary of Delhi unit of Amar Singh's party Rashtriya Lok Manch, have joined our party, among others," he said, adding that Goyal has been appointed as Delhi NCP vice president. When asked what steps are being taken to stop candidates from changing sides after winning on NCP tickets, Singh said this problem is not limited to his party only.

Slamming the Sheila Dikshit's government over rising onion prices, Singh alleged that the government was "in collusion with the hoarders." "Transportation cost of bringing onion from Maharashtra is not more than Rs 20-25 and in that way, the price should not be more than Rs 60-70 (per kg) in Delhi, but definitely not Rs 100," he said.

"The Delhi government was in the know that prices will probably go up. Even Sharad Pawar had informed the government. But no steps were taken by the Congress-led UPA to increase import or stop export," said Singh. When asked about BJP's promise of 30 per cent reduction in power tariffs, Singh said NCP, if voted to power, will constitute a judicial commission and the difference is tariff will be fixed.

"We will not offer Diwali sale where 'buy one and get one free' is the slogan," said Singh.

PTI