NCP core committee to meet today

The core committee of the NCP will meet in the city on Monday to discuss the vexed issue of alliance with the Congress as the latter is yet to respond to its ultimatum of arriving at a decision on seat sharing.

NCP bigwigs, including party president Sharad Pawar, state unit president of the party Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, senior ministers such as R R Patil, Chagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil and Madhukar Pichad will attend the meeting.

Party leader and former union ninister Praful Patel on Saturday had given a deadline to the Congress and had said that NCP would not settle below 144 seats. On the contrary, the Congress has showed readiness to give 124 seats to NCP, which is more than 10 than last time's 114 seats.

Meanwhile, Congress campaign committee chief Narayan Rane said in Aurangabad that his party would announce its first list in the next two days, after the seat sharing talks with NCP are over.