Sonia discusses NCP alliance issue with Cong leaders

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today discussed the issue of alliance with NCP for coming assembly poll in Maharashtra with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and state party chief Manikrao Thakre at the airport here.

Defence minister AK Antony, the AICC General Secretary in charge of the state, was also present at the meeting that lasted for nearly two hours, party sources said.

"The issue of alliance was discussed by Thakre, Chavan and Antony with Gandhi for an hour soon after her arrival at the airport and later for about 45 minutes before her departure," they said.

After the discussion, Antony left for Delhi while Gandhi went to Bangalore, the sources said. The alliance talks between Congress and Sharad Pawar's outfit, which are together for the last ten years, have got stuck on the issue of seats to be fought by the two parties.

In 2004, Congress had fought on 164 and NCP 124 of the total 288 seats in Maharashtra. This time, Congress wants 179 seats, leaving 109 for NCP, a formula not unacceptable to the latter.