MVA seat-sharing talks in final stages: Ramesh Chennithala

Mumbai: Congress's Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday said seat-sharing talks between the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state were in the last stage, and a final decision will be announced by month-end.

There were no differences in the alliance over seat adjustments for the Lok Sabha elections, he said here.

A meeting of the alliance -- which also includes NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi -- will be held on February 27 and 28, he said.

Chennithala was talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the state Congress election committee at the party headquarters Tilak Bhavan. "Talks are in the last stage. Decision on seat-sharing will be announced after the meeting on 27th and 28th," he said.

The MVA alliance was strong and everyone will work unitedly to win maximum seats, he said, adding that talks were underway with Prakash Ambedkar, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray.

The recent two-day training camp at Lonavala focused on how to strengthen the party at the grassroots level, and poll preparation of the Mumbai Congress was also being reviewed, Chennithala further said.

State Congress chief Nana Patole said at the press conference that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's slogan about making the country corruption-free was a joke as "all leaders accused of corruption are with the BJP." "Was (deputy chief minister and NCP chief) Ajit Pawar raided by central agencies after being accused of Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam? PM Modi accused Ashok Chavan of involvement in the Adarsh scam and (then) made him a Rajya Sabha member from the BJP. The BJP has become a shield for leaders whom it had accused of corruption earlier," he said.

Of the saffron party's 303 Lok Sabha members, as many as 165 were earlier with opposition parties, including 67 who were once with the Congress, he claimed.