As Maharashtra lapsed into severe political crisis after the imposition of President's rule, the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to hold meetings of its MLAs, district-level office-bearers as well as unsuccessful Assembly poll candidates from Thursday. The participants will interact with the leader of the party's legislative wing Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, a party leader said. The BJP's Maharashtra in-charge Saroj Pandey will also be present, he added.
The meeting of newly-elected MLAs will take place on Thursday, while that of district-level leaders and office-bearers will take place on Friday.
"The third day is reserved for BJP candidates who could not win assembly elections along with some who had rebelled during the elections. Many of them have expressed their willingness to stay with the party. Fadnavis and Patil will interact with them as well," he said.
Local elections that are slated to take place at various places in the state next year would also be discussed, he said.
The BJP, which won 105 seats in the October 21 state polls, failed to form a government after falling out with ally Shiv Sena over sharing of chief minister's post.
Congress-NCP meet cancelled
A scheduled joint committee meeting of Congress and NCP leaders to work out details of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for the formation of government in Maharashtra with support of the Shiv Sena was cancelled, a visibly upset Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday night, triggering speculations.
However, NCP chief Sharad Pawar later told reporters that his nephew Ajit deliberately made remarks about visiting Baramati, his hometown in Pune district, in the night to avoid media.
As Ajit's remarks were lapped up by a section of media, a senior Congress leader and NCP chief spokesperson confirmed that the meeting was going on. Earlier, Ajit told reporters present outside the Pawar senior's residence here that meeting stands cancelled.
"I don't know when it will take place," the former deputy chief minister said while refusing to answer queries from media persons.
"I am heading to Baramati," Ajit said when asked about the reason behind cancellation of the meeting.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil was accompanying Ajit in his vehicle.
Upset over coverage of the incident by a section of media, Sharad Pawar later said he would not meet reporters again if they continue evading the "privacy" of political leaders.
"Ajit Pawar is very much in Mumbai...he will meet you tomorrow. Your (media) vehicles start following him if he says anything jokingly. This evades privacy. Hence, he (Ajit) did it (statement on visiting Baramati) deliberately...If you want to distort things, don't come here (Pawar's residence) tomorrow onwards," he said.
NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said the meeting is very much on. He also appealed against spreading rumours. After initial confusion, the NCP and the Congress circulated photos that showed Ajit attending the meeting.
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the meeting is on.
"A meeting of Congress Party senior leaders is going on. All other news aired by electronic media are baseless," Chavan tweeted.
Though Maharashtra has been placed under President's Rule but all the key political parties are keen to take forward the talks for the formation of new government in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the opposition parties, saying their effort to raise a ruckus over the imposition of President's Rule in Maharashtra was a "meaningless exercise to gain public sympathy". He also rejected the accusations that the BJP has betrayed the Shiv Sena.
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