india

Updated: Dec 24, 2018 13:30 IST

The Nationalist Congress Party and Congress will contest the Lok Sabha elections next year along with Peasants and Workers Party of India, Sharad Pawar has said, according to news agency ANI.

“Talks have taken place over 40 seats and eight seats remain. The final decision will be taken shortly. If any confusion remains, then chiefs of both the parties will solve it,” Pawar said, according to ANI.

Pawar said on Sunday strong regional parties are likely to have a bigger share in seat sharing as ‘mahagathbandhan’ or grand alliance is in the offing for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Pawar held a meeting with Congress and NCP workers in Gondia in east Maharashtra and issued a statement on his official Twitter account in Marathi.

The former Union agriculture minister also promised a rate of Rs 2,500 per quintal to grain cultivators in Maharashtra, on the lines of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

“It is a practice of consulting the rates of neighbouring states before finalising agricultural produce support price. But the Maharashtra government did not follow it and now the neighbouring states are offering Rs 700 per quintal more,” he said in a series of tweets.

(With agency inputs)