Why the Congress-NCP alliance has its eyes on Vidarbha

Nagpur: With Maharashtra assembly elections round the corner, the NCP-Congress combine will now once again try to retain Vidarbha, which has mostly remained a Congress stronghold since 1990. A glimpse into last five elections shows Congress had recorded its best ever performance by winning 25 out of 62 Vidarbha seats in 1990 and later 27 out of 52 in 1999.

In 2004, Congress struck alliance with NCP and secured 19 out of 49 seats in the region with NCP winning 11 seats in 15 constituencies. NCP’s performance in the last assembly polls however, was poor with the party winning only four seats out of 13 it contested. Congress had won 24 out of 48, according to election statistics available here.

But in terms of percentage, Congress in 2009 polls had mustered highest votes in last five terms with 36.04 per cent votes (27,59,925). Surprisingly, after alliance with NCP in 2004, Congress-led DF government retained power for the second time in succession by winning 19 seats out of 49 contested while NCP, which had completed five years of formation, grabbed 11 constituencies out of 15 it fought on. Congress had won 23,73,717 votes (35.04 per cent).

The saffron brigade, in its winning year 1995, Shiv Sena-BJP combine secured 11 and 22 seats respectively out of 66 seats to come to power. Congress in 1995 polls, single handedly won 17 seats out of 64 with 24.60 per cent votes. The SS-BJP recorded 24.63 votes in 1990, which moved up to 25.82 per cent in 1995, 33.92 in 1999, 32.97 in 2004. In the 2009 assembly election they registered 33.92 per cent votes.

The 288 assembly seats in the state will go to polls on October 15.

PTI