DF Govt's coordination committee holds its first meet

Mumbai, Apr 25 (UNI) The Democratic Front government's coordination committee today held its meeting here for the first time since assuming power in 2004.

The meeting was held at the Sahaydri Guest House and was attended among others by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, State Congress chief Prabha Rau, State NCP chief Arun Gujarthi and Mumbai MLA Sachin Ahir.

Preliminary talks on alliances for the impending local bodies elections scheduled early next year, including elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, were held at the meeting, sources said.

It was also decided to make appointments to the State-run boards and corporations at the earliest.

Further, it was suggested that the coordination committee meetings should be held at regular intervals.

However, the contentious issue of the dance bars in the State was not discussed at the meeting, sources said. The Mumbai High Court had recently struck down the ban on the dance bars which was welcomed by Congress spokesman Sanjay Nirupam but the decision had been criticised by the NCP.

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