Mumbai: Getting into election mode, the Congress and the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) today (Aug 24, 2004) began preliminary talks on seat sharing for the ensuing Assembly polls in Maharashtra.

The meeting is being held at 'Agradoot', the official residence of State Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Patangrao Kadam, in Mumbai.

The preliminary talks would comprise issues like number of seats to be contested by each party, the formula for seat sharing and the seats to be offered to other allies, party sources said.

Those present at the meeting include MPCC (Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee) chief Prabha Rau, Patangrao Kadam, State NCP chief R R Patil, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and former Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal.

However, the final decision on seat sharing would be taken by the senior leaders of both parties at New Delhi soon, the sources added.

Today's seat sharing talks is first formal exercise between both the parties after they agreed to form a pre-poll alliance. Last time, both parties had contested separately but forged an alliance to form the Government after the results.

AICC (All India Congress Committee) general secretary and party affairs in-charge for Maharashtra Margaret Alva had held a meeting of senior Congress leaders from Maharashtra in New Delhi to set broad guidelines for the talks.

The NCP leadership, at the party's recently held conclave in Aurangabad, had discussed strategy for alliance with Congress and expressed its desire to continue Congress-NCP-RPI tie up for the Assembly polls to take on the Shiv-Sena BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) combine.