Mah Cong-NCP Coordination Committee meeting on Oct 15

Mumbai, Oct 12 (UNI) The Coordination Committee meeting of Congress and NCP, the ruling coalition partners in Maharashtra, will take place on October 15 here.

The meeting was scheduled in August but was postponed due to the unavailability of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, one of the prominent members of the committee.

AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva would present at the meeting along with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, State Congress President Prabha Rau, NCP State Unit President Arun Gujarathi, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil and Mr Praful Patel, who are prominent members of the Coordination Committee.

Ms Alva retained charge of Maharashtra in the recent AICC reshuffle which was seen in political circles as a setback to the Chief Minister. Ms Alva and the state unit Chief Prabha Rau are considered to be opposed to the Chief Minister.

Sources said apart from taking stock of the prevailing political scenario in the state and the country, performance of both parties in the recent local body elections, farmers suicides, implementation of Prime Minister's package in the six suicide prone districts of Vidarbha, power shortage and steps taken to improve the situation, implementation of Srikrishna Commission recommendations into the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, BJP's allegations about the wheat scam, scrapping of the ULC and discussion on Housing Policy to be initiated in the upcoming winter session of the state legislature in December would figure in the discussions.

The much awaited cabinet expansion cum reshuffle, appointments on state run corporations and boards are also likely to be debated.

The meeting would also be significant for being held in the backdrop of detractors of the Chief Minister in the Congress, stepping up their campaign to dislodge him from the Chief Minister's post in the last two months.

The committee is also expected to take stock of the performance of the Congress-NCP coalition, government which completes three years in office on November 1, 2007.

NCP President and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar during his recent visit here, had made it clear that changes in the helm of affairs in the Congress or government was the prerogative of the Congress and NCP had no say in the matter. He had also asserted that he had no plans to effect changes in the NCP.

UNI