"Unfortunate": Maharashtra Partners On Congress Going Solo In Goa

Goa Election: The coastal state votes in a single phase on Feb 14.

Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena will contest the Goa elections together, senior party leader Praful Patel said on Wednesday as, he claimed, the Congress refuses to talk of an alliance with its two partners in neighbouring Maharashtra.

"Now that we have the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, this time also we first - as NCP - tried to speak to the Congress and at least till 2007, Congress used to leave seven out of the forty seats for the NCP. We had said even if there is an adjustment of numbers and we must reduce, we are ready. Let's us work together so that we can take on the government here (Goa)," Mr Patel told reporters.

"Similarly, since we have the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Sanjay Raut - on behalf of the Shiv Sena - also made a similar offer saying that we can all look at working together and Congress of course will be the main party. And we will be supporting the Congress in fighting the elections jointly and giving a formidable front against the current BJP government," he further added with Sena MP Sanjay Raut by his side.

"On this proposal, they never said no, and they never said yes. They never gave us an adequate number of seats and they never spoke of seats where we were strong. It was an exercise where we felt the Congress is not giving us the due respect which we deserve."