"Everything Fine With Maha Vikas Aghadi Government": Maharashtra Congress Chief

In a bid to quell the controversy stemming out of his remarks that the Congress party would go solo in the next assembly election, the party's Maharashtra chief Nana Patole on Tuesday said that everything was hunky-dory in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and that the Congress has always been contesting polls on its own.

"Everything is fine in the MVA government. We (Congress) have always fought elections alone, there is nothing new in this. In MVA, all three parties are working together. All parties have every right to strengthen themselves. This matter is being shown in an overblown way, Congress plays its own role, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) plays its own role, and Shiv Sena plays its own role," Mr Patole said.

In what appears to be a stealth retraction of his earlier remarks, the Congress leader said: "I had never claimed the Chief Minister's post and said I would myself be the Chief Minister. I had said that the decision on the Chief Minister would be taken by the High Command."

Speaking about Sharad Pawar's meeting today with several leaders from the Opposition, Mr Patole said that this is not the first time that the NCP chief had convened such a meeting and there is no plan in the offing to put up a third front.

"Prashant Kishor has also said today that no front could be erected to challenge Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without taking the Congress in its fold," Mr Patole said.

Mr Kishor had met Sharad Pawar before the Opposition leaders' meeting with the NCP leader.

Further, Mr Patole said the Speaker's post in the state Assembly is vacant and will be filled soon and added that the decision in the matter falls in Congress' quota.