Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole revealed that the party leadership would discuss the recent and much-speculated meeting between NCP founder Sharad Pawar and his estranged nephew, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, during the forthcoming INDIA alliance conclave in Mumbai.
Speaking post a state Congress core committee meeting, Patole clarified that while there’s no ambiguity within the party regarding senior Pawar’s commitment to the anti-BJP alliance, there seems to be confusion among the general populace.
The meeting, set for August 31 and September 1, is a gathering of the anti-BJP INDIA alliance. Patole stated that there is no backup plan involving the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) contesting the Lok Sabha polls together in case the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) sides with the BJP. The Congress’s objective remains unambiguous: to vanquish the BJP and collaborate with those sharing the same aim.
Addressing the whispered meeting between the senior Pawar and his nephew in Pune, Patole emphasised that the Congress leadership will deliberate over this issue with Sharad Pawar due to his senior status. This meeting, held on August 12, has been the subject of widespread speculation, especially concerning its reception by the Congress and the Shiv Sena faction led by former CM Uddhav Thackeray.
Sharad Pawar, however, allayed these anxieties by affirming that the meeting concerned a family matter with no political implications. He further dismissed any notion of the NCP aligning with the BJP. Patole highlighted that a conversation between Sharad Pawar and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took place, wherein Pawar reiterated that the meeting was strictly familial.
Moreover, Patole mentioned that the core committee also deliberated on the party’s padayatra commencing from September 3, spearheaded by senior state Congress leaders. Reports from observers across Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats have been compiled, with the party taking steps to address any identified shortcomings.
