Congress leaders deliberate on post-NCP split situation in Maharashtra

Senior Congress leaders from Maharashtra on Tuesday held a meeting with the party leadership in New Delhi to discuss the political situation in the state in the wake of the split in the Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

The Congress has now emerged as the largest opposition party in Maharashtra and has staked claim to the post of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.

The deliberations come after a faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar switched over to join hands with the NDA.

Congress leaders are discussing the aftermath of the NCP split and how it will affect the party's prospects in the state ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi were present during the meeting at the AICC headquarters here.

AICC in-charge for Maharashtra H K Patil and PCC chief Nana Patole were also present at the meet, besides senior party leaders Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan.

The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, witnessed a split recently with Ajit Pawar joining the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government in Maharashtra.