Maharashtra Congress leaders meet Sharad Pawar

Senior Maharashtra Congress leaders on Friday met NCP president Sharad Pawar to discuss the political situation in the state

Mumbai: Senior Maharashtra Congress leaders on Friday met NCP president Sharad Pawar to discuss the political situation in the state.

The proposed meeting of the opposition’s INDIA alliance in Mumbai could be held in the last week of August or first week of September, a Congress leader who attended the meeting said afterwards.

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The meeting was held at the Y B Chavan Centre in south Mumbai. State Congress chief Nana Patole, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and senior leader Naseem Khan were present at the meeting.

From the Nationalist Congress Party’s side, its state unit chief Jayant Patil and MLAs Shashikant Shinde and Rohit Pawar (Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew) were also present.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of the Congress not staking claim to the post of the Leader of Opposition in the assembly after Ajit Pawar and his supporters broke away from the Sharad Pawar-founded party and joined the government early this month.

Speaking afterwards, Naseem Khan said the meeting of the INDIA alliance will be held in Mumbai at the end of August or in the first week of September.

Patole said nearly 100 leaders will attend the INDIA alliance meeting and Pawar had spoken with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray about the same over phone.

“We, as members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), are committed to ensure the success of the meeting in Mumbai,” he said.

The MVA was strong and united and it will hold rallies across the state after the rainy season is over, Patole added.

“The MVA will work on seat-sharing adjustments and finalisation of candidates by holding discussions among the three partners (Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena),” he said.