Athawale's party to contest 8-10 seats in Haryana if no agreement with BJP

Union minister Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (Athawale) plans to fight the Haryana assembly polls on 8-10 seats and support ally BJP on the remaining, party leaders said here on Monday.

However, if an agreement is reached with the BJP, the RPA (A) will contest just two seats and leave the rest for the senior NDA partner, the party's Haryana unit president Ravi Sonu Kundli said here.

"Discussions are ongoing with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding seat allocation. If no agreement is reached with the BJP, the Republican Party will field candidates on 8 to 10 seats and support BJP candidates on the remaining 80 seats," Kundli said.

He said the RPI (A) has emerged as a prominent party for Dalits in the country, and it would gain traction in Haryana, which goes to polls on October 5. "The RPI(A) has emerged as a party of the weaker sections across the country including Haryana. We are confident of a good performance," Kundli said.

The RPI(A), which is a part of t