Ahead of 2024 Congress leaders hold meeting on post-NCP split situation in Maharashtra

The Congress has staked a claim to the position of opposition leader in the state assembly in Maharashtra as it is now the largest party in opposition.

Tuesday’s meeting between senior Maharashtra-based Congress officials and the party’s leadership was intended to assess the state’s political atmosphere in the wake of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s split.

The Congress has established itself as the main opposition force in Maharashtra and has staked a claim to the position of Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly. The discussions come in response to a faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar choosing to affiliate with the NDA.

In preparation for the Lok Sabha elections, Congress officials are debating the effects of the NCP split and how they may impact the party’s prospects in the state.

The meeting took place at the AICC headquarters with Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, and Rahul Gandhi, a previous head of the party.

Along with top party figures Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan, and Prithviraj Chavan, AICC in-charge for Maharashtra H K Patil and PCC head Nana Patole attended the meeting.

With Ajit Pawar joining the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government in Maharashtra, the NCP, which Sharad Pawar formed in 1999, recently saw a split.