NCP was preparing for split after drubbing in Lok Sabha elections

MUMBAI: The NCP terminated its alliance with the Congress on Thursday, but it had been preparing for the extreme step immediately after its humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. The impact of this split is also likely to be felt in zilla parishads in the state where it shares power with the Congress.

"We were associated with the Congress since 1999 and the NCP was part of the UPA government. The UPA's defeat was felt to be the most appropriate time to terminate the alliance,'' a senior NCP minister said. NCP leaders felt since 1999, the party organization has completely stagnated. Between 1999 and 2014 the NCP usually contested 114 seats, leaving the rest to the Congress, so its presence in the remaining 174 assembly constituencies has steadily dwindled. In fact, of the 35 districts, the party's presence in 25 was almost negligible.

The first proposal for terminating the alliance came immediately after the LS polls from a cross-section of the party. "Our legislators felt as the party was contesting only 114 assembly seats, workers in other constituencies switched loyalties,'' he said.

It was felt that if the party has to be rebuilt across the state, the only option will be to contest all assembly seats. "In fact, we should have contested the Lok Sabha polls independently, but the decision was postponed due to lack of consensus," he said.

Another NCP minister said the immediate impact of the decision to split will be felt on the recently held zilla parishad elections. "We share power in several zilla parishads with the Congress, we will have to terminate these alliances," he said.