Nagpur, Sep 15 - Congress MP from Maharashtra Sanjay Nirupam Tuesday demanded that at least 35 seats in Mumbai-Thane area should be allotted to North Indians to contest the upcoming state assembly elections.

'There is a sizeable population of those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in 40 out of 60 constituencies in the Mumbai-Thane region and it is increasing,' Sanjay Nirupam said here, speaking at a function organised by the Uttar Bharatiya Samaj Parishad.

Even as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were scheduled to hold Tuesday evening their first formal talks on seat sharing in the state, he said: 'I will demand that North Indians be given tickets for at least 35 seats in the region.'

Sanjay Nirupam is an MP from Mumbai North.

He added that the presence of non-Mahashtrians is also increasing in Pune. 'In more than half of the 12 newly created constituencies in Pune, there is a good North Indian population,' he pointed out, adding that similarly 'half of Nagpur' has North Indians.