Eye on alternative, NCP meet begins

Minutes after Chhagan Bhujbal quit as Deputy Chief Minister, hectic lobbying began in the ranks of the NCP. Today, a crucial two-day party e...

Minutes after Chhagan Bhujbal quit as Deputy Chief Minister, hectic lobbying began in the ranks of the NCP. Today, a crucial two-day party executive meeting began, which is likely to come up with an alternative to Bhujbal.

The former Deputy CM, who was the last to arrive at the meeting at Rashtrawadi Bhawan in South Mumbai, was accorded a hero’s welcome. Slogans like ‘‘Bhujbal tum age badho, hum tumhare sath hain’’ rend the air, as he waded through a stream of supporters. The NCP leaders also congratulated Bhujbal for his ‘‘brave step’’, party spokesman Praful Patel said.

The executive meeting, presided over by NCP president Sharad Pawar, and attended by almost all senior leaders of the party, will also take up issues relating to the NCP’s strategy for the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

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‘‘The meet is likely to discuss the situation following Bhujbal’s resignation, besides issues like forging a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, and even exploring the NCP’s prospects of going it alone,’’ said Vasant Chavan, spokesperson of the NCP’s Maharashtra unit.

The Congress’ debacle in the Hindi heartland has made it adopt a flexible approach to forging a pre-poll alliance with the NCP, sources said. Earlier, both the Congress and the NCP had expressed reservations on continuing the adjustment in the Assembly election.

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