Post-rout, Congress, NCP merger likely
The meeting, which lasted close to an hour, was held at Mr Pawar’s residence.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2019-05-30 19:14 GMT
New Delhi: Amid speculation about a merger between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, Congress president Rahul Gandhi met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar here on Thursday. The meeting, which lasted close to an hour, was held at Mr Pawar’s residence.
Insiders claim that if such a merger takes place, the Congress-NCP’s tally in the Lok Sabha will go up to 57, and the merged party will be eligible to get the Leader of the Opposition post.
As a gesture, the Congress is likely to accommodate Mr Pawar in this regard. However, a final decision on the merger is yet to be taken by both parties. Mr Pawar was in the Congress before he floated the NCP in 1999. The NCP is part of the Congress-led UPA.