New Delhi: Asserting that it would maintain a separate identity, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today (June 12, 2004) ruled out merger with Congress but said its alliance with that party would continue in the coming Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

"There is no question of merger. But alliance will definitely be there (in Maharashtra)," party spokesman and Union Minister Praful Patel told reporters after NCP's first extended Working Committee meeting after the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The Sharad Pawar-led Party, which was formed on the issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin five years back, also celebrated its Foundation Day today.

Patel said the meeting attended by NCP MPs, legislators and senior leaders reviewed the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections and identified the major challenges before it in the near future.

He said BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and other NDA (National Democratic Alliance) parties could be defeated only if secular parties remained united.

Asked about the war of words between Samajwadi Party and its supporting party Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the NCP leader said he would not like to comment on it because his party did not have a major presence in the state.

But if parties fought among themselves, it would lead to division of votes and weaken the secular alliance, he said.

About Maharashtra, he said NCP would fight the assembly elections in alliance with Congress and RPI (Republic Party of India).

To a question, he said options were also open for a tie up with BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) though there have been no formal talks in that direction.