Sharad Pawar meets Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, discusses road ahead for I-N-D-I-A alliance

Pic/Twitter@PawarSpeaks

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as Rahul Gandhi and is learnt have discussed the plan forward for the opposition alliance I-N-D-I-A, which last met in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1, reported news agency PTI.

Taking to Twitter, Sharad Pawar said: "Paid a courtesy visit to INC President MP Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence. MP Rahul Gandhi, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad and Gurdeep Sapal, INC CWC Member were also present for the meeting."

The opposition bloc has not met since Mumbai and is likely to do so soon, sources told news agency PTI.

The three leaders discussed the current political situation and the road ahead for the alliance, which is looking to take on the BJP in the upcoming assembly and general elections. They also chalked out plans for the next meeting of the INDIA bloc, the sources told PTI.

Friday's discussions come after a joint public meeting of the I-N-D-I-A bloc in Bhopal in October was cancelled. That could not be held following opposition by Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath over statements by DMK leaders, including Udhayanidhi Stalin, against 'Sanatan Dharma', sources told PTI.

Some opposition leaders are suggesting that the next meeting of the I-N-D-I-A opposition leaders be held in West Bengal.

Last month, the first meeting of the Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I-N-D-I-A) bloc was underway at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's Delhi residence. As many as 11 leaders of the 14-member panel are present at the meeting which was being held under the shadow of controversy over Udhaynidhi Stalin's remark on Sanatana Dharma, stated a PTI report.

The leaders present at the meeting are Pawar Sr, Congress leader KC Venugopal, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, NC leader Omar Abdullah, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI's D Raja, SP's Jawed Ali Khan, DMK's T R Baalu and JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha. Three members including JMM leader Hemant Soren, and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee couldn't be present for different reasons, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)