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The Congress has finalised almost all the 174 seats it plans to contest in the October 13 Maharashtra polls but did not rule out exchange of few seats with the Nationalist Congress Party for the 288-member assembly.
"Everything is in final stage," A K Antony, All India Congress Committee in-charge of the state said, while Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre indicated that all seats except four-five have been decided by the AICC. Both the leaders were speaking after the Central Election Committee meeting of the party, which lasted for more than four hours.
The paty's Cenral Election Committee of the party in a marathon meeting on Sunday had cleared over 140 seats at the meeting attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "Names of few remaining seats have been finalised on Monday. The work has almost been completed. A formal announcement of the alliance is likely to be made by Tuesday," Thakre said.
Asked about the number of seats on which the final decision (of whether Congress or NCP will contest) is yet to be taken, Thakre said, "There are four-five such seats but even that matter would be sorted out by Tuesday."
The Congress appears to be toeing the middle line on the issue of granting tickets to the sons of senior party leaders
in the state. Asked to comment on the issue, Thakre said, "there is nothing bad if the sons of party's committed workers
get tickets."