New Delhi: Congress and NCP on Monday announced that they would contest the Lok Sabha elections together, with the two parties addressing a joint press meet to put to rest all doubts about UPA in Maharashtra. Union ministers A K Antony and Praful Patel said that Congress would contest 26 of the 48 seats while NCP would field candidates in 22. It is not yet decided how allies like RPI factions would be accommodated.
    While the parties are discussing if they need to exchange a few seats from the agreed list, they appeared to be under pressure to end speculation on whether they were going to polls as allies. The public announcement that UPA is together in Maharashtra is good news for Congress after the failures in UP and Bihar has led to negativity about the ruling combine. NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s cosying up with Shiv Sena, his indulgent statements about the Third Front and his prime ministerial ambitions led to doubts in the Congress camp.
    With NCP getting one seat more than it contested in 2004, Patel said, “We are in alliance with Congress. We shall stand by the alliance and fully support all the candidates.”