NCP may back Sushilkumar Shinde for Maharashtra CM

The Nationalist Congress Party said on Wednesday that it is not averse to the idea of Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde taking over the reins of the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra.

Shinde met NCP leader and Public Works Department Minister Vijay Singh Mohite Patil at his official residence in Mumbai.

Patil welcomed him with tilgul, a traditional Maharashtrian sweet, and a bouquet.

The NCP leader had earlier put up a stiff opposition to Shinde taking over from Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Shinde said both Patil and he hailed from Solapur district in western Maharashtra and there had been certain 'misunderstandings', which have been 'cleared completely'.

In the morning, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh met the three-member AICC delegation comprising Pranab Mukherjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Vayalar Ravi.

Ravi also had a fresh round of talks with the NCP, apparently to convince it to accept a non-Maratha as chief minister.

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