New Delhi, Jan 12 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Monday called for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to put up a joint fight to win the next Lok Sabha polls and demanded more seats from allies in the states where it has proved its strong presence.

As a senior partner in the alliance in Maharashtra, the NCP wanted to contest from 26 seats in its bastion, party spokesman D.P. Tripathi told reporters after the NCP's election policy discussion meeting here.

Last time, the NCP and the Congress fought the Lok Sabha elections together in Maharashtra. The NCP had contested elections from 22 Lok Sabha constituencies while the Congress fought elections from 26 constituencies.

"The party has established its strong presence in states like Kerala, Megahalya, Goa, Bihar, Assam, Gujarat, Manipur and Lakshadweep and it needs proportionate representation in these states," Tripathi said.

He said the alliance in the states should be worked out immediately.

"The UPA allies should come together in states immediately and fight elections according to the political situation prevailing there," he said.

Staking the party's claim to Lakshadweep constituency, Tripathi said P. Pookunhi Koya, who defeated Congress leader P.M. Sayeed in the last Lok Sabha elections as a Janata Dal-United (JD-U) candidate, has joined his party.

Ruling out an alliance with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, the NCP leader said his party "expects the Congress-led UDF (United Democratic Front) will invite it to its fold before the elections."

He said his party was holding informal discussions at the national level with the Congress leaders on the issue of an alliance in the state.

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