Amid the exodus of Congress and NCP leaders towards the National Democratic Alliance, the Congress leadership has started consultations on the upcoming elections to the Maharashtra Assembly.

A day after she met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi met Maharashtra PCC president Eknath Gaikwad here on Wednesday. She is likely to meet the party General Secretary in-charge of the State Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss the organisational issues that the party and the alliance are facing ahead of the elections.

There were reports that Pawar’s meeting was to finalise the seat-sharing formula that NCP should get 50 per cent of the 288 seats. The Congress, however, said the leaders discussed the current national political scenario.

“The meeting was not Maharashtra specific. They discussed the national situation. The failures of this government and plans for struggles against the Centre were discussed,” said Congress MP and spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

Singhvi also rejected reports that Sonia Gandhi denied permission for a meeting with screening committee chairman of the State Jyotiraditya Scindia. “He is busy in a meeting in Maharashtra and he had to cancel an appointment. These are false campaigns,” Singhvi added. Scindia also said in Gwalior that he did not seek time to meet the Congress president.

Party’s candidate in the Lok Sabha polls and actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar and former Maharashtra Home Minister Kripa Shankar Singh had resigned from the Congress recently over differences with party’s leadership. Such matters were discussed in the meeting with Gaikwad.

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