New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi met senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, A K Antony and K C Venugopal on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra and the way forward for the party on government formation, sources said.
Senior leaders of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are expected to meet on Wednesday to firm up a stand and hammer out the issues on forming government in the western state with the Shiv Sena.
Keeping his cards close to his chest, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday that he had only discussed the political situation in Maharashtra with Gandhi and the two parties will hold talks with their other allies before taking a decision on government formation in the state.
Pawar, whose meeting with Sonia Gandhi was being billed as a major step towards a tie-up with the Shiv Sena for government formation in the state, had said that if the NCP-Congress had to take a view on government formation, they had to first discuss it between themselves.
Addressing a press conference after his meeting with Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday that lasted for about 50 minutes, the Maratha strongman also said there was no discussion on a common minimum programme during the talks.
However, sources have said that the Congress and the NCP have been having detailed discussions on the CMP and the way forward for a possible tie-up with the Sena.
