Sharad Pawar meets Kharge, Rahul to discuss INDIA bloc ahead of EC hearing NCP split

According to party sources, the senior leaders discussed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc future strategy.

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Pawar along with party MLA Jitendra Awhad arrived at the residence of Kharge at 10 Rajaji Marg in central Delhi at 2 p.m. and the meeting between the senior leaders lasted for over 30 minutes. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Kharge said, “Today, along with Rahul Gandhi ji, met NCP President Sharad Pawar ji to further raise the voice of the people of the country. We are ready for every challenge. India will join, INDIA will win.”

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He also shared the pictures of the meeting in his post. Even in a tweet, Pawar said, “Paid a courtesy visit to Congress President and MP Malikarjun Kharge at his residence. MP Rahul Gandhi, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad and Gurdeep Sapal, CWC Member were also present for the meeting.”

According to party sources, the senior leaders discussed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc future strategy. The source said that the leaders also discussed the current political situation and the road ahead for the alliance, which has been formed to take on the ruling BJP at the centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The source said that they also discussed plans for the next meeting of the INDIA bloc. Later in the day, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will hear the pleas by the Sharad Pawar faction and Ajit Pawar-led faction of NCP over claims on the party name and symbol. Earlier in July this year, Ajit Pawar had approached the poll panel staking claim to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol amid a feud between the two factions.

Later, the poll panel wrote to both factions of the party acknowledging the split and also directed both to share documents, submitted to the polling body, with each other. Today is the first hearing of the case before ECI.