Pawar meets CM Thackeray amid uncertainty over govt

Kamal Nath has been deputed by the Congress leadership to monitor the latest political developments in the state.

 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday held talks with Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray amid a spiralling crisis plaguing the state government after powerful Sena leader Eknath Shinde rebelled against Thackeray’s leadership.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray along with NCP chief Sharad Pawar. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Kamal Nath also spoke to Thackeray over the phone. Kamal Nath has been deputed by the Congress leadership to monitor the latest political developments in the state.

The NCP leaders held discussions with the chief minister at “Varsha”, his official residence in south Mumbai. It wasn’t immediately clear what the leaders discussed. The meeting took place after Thackeray’s live webcast, in which he offered to quit as Maharashtra chief minister but asked the rebels if they were sure the state would get a “Sainik” as the CM after him.

The rebellion by Shinde, who has claimed the support of 46 MLAs, has pushed the two-and-a-half-year old Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) governemnt to the brink. The Sena has 55 members in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly.

Talking to reporters on his arrival at the Mumbai-based official residence of Maharashtra revenue minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat, Nath said: “It is for the Shiv Sena to take care of its team and see how it wants to handle its MLAs.” He said the Congress leaders were united.

“I am sure we will stay intact. It is for the Congress party to demonstrate unity. The Congress MLAs are not for sale,” the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

(With PTI inputs)