Congress non-committal on its stand in Mumbai; to go with NCP in Zilla Parishads

State Congress chief Ashok Chavan said that NCP and Congress would support each other in the Zilla Parishads.

Mumbai: Congress in Maharashtra on Friday remained non-committal on its stand in the hung Mumbai civic body, but said the Shiv Sena, which emerged as the number one party in yesterday's election results, and the BJP should first decide whether they were still together.

State Congress chief Ashok Chavan also said that NCP and Congress would support each other in the Zilla Parishads.

Sena won 84 seats while its estranged ally BJP won 82 in the elections to 227-member city corporation, BMC. Congress with 31 seats was a distant third.

With no party winning clear majority and BJP and Sena locked in a bitter wrangling during the poll campaign, uncertainty looms as to who would control the BMC.

When asked by reporters today what would be Congress' stand in Mayor's election, Chavan said, "It is up to Sena and BJP who are partners in the state government to decide whether they are together after the elections in Mumbai."

He was speaking to media after chairing a party leaders' meeting to take a stock of election results.

NCP proposed cooperation for Zilla Parishad presidents' elections, he said, adding that Congress had agreed to it.

"We agreed to the proposal. In the Zilla Parishads where we have higher number the NCP will support us while in the places where their number is higher we will support them," he said.