Raju Shetti meets Sharad Pawar, triggers alliance rumours

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar met MP Raju Shetti in Delhi on Friday. Though there was no official communication about the meeting from both ends, sources close to both camps said that both discussed the possibility of an alliance as well as issues to be raised in the next few months.  

Recently Mr Shetti had taken lead with Nationalist Congress Party leader Jitendra Awhad to plan the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Rally’ in Mumbai. Mr Pawar was also present for the occasion. This had created a buzz that Mr Shetti was joining hands with the Congress and the NCP, ahead of the elections. When leaders of the Congress and the NCP discussed the alliance proposal last Tuesday in Mumbai, they had also considered the political adjustment with Mr Shetti.

According to sources, in the Friday meeting in Delhi, Mr Shetti and Mr Pawar discussed the issues arising in the formation of an alliance. If the broader alliance of Congress and the NCP with smaller parties takes place in the future, Mr Shetti is likely to be accommodated in it. As of now, Mr Shetti is a member of Lok Sabha from Hatkanangale constituency in western Maharashtra. This seat was with the NCP in the past.