Mumbai, Nov 13 (PTI) Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said his Republican Party of India (A) must be given seats to contest in the upcoming civic elections.

The RPI (A) is a long-standing ally of the BJP and deserves inclusion in the Mahayuti alliance's seat-sharing arrangement, the Union minister for social justice and empowerment said.

"We are an old ally and a close friend of the BJP. It is disappointing to see that the Mahayuti is always presented as an alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP. We also want some seats to be left for us. If the BJP does not share seats with us, we will support our candidates to contest elections," Athawale said.

The RPI (A) has branches across Mumbai and should be part of the discussions on seat allocation, he added.

"I am going to take up the i

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