Cong leaders to meet Sonia on supporting Sena in Maha

Congress President Sonia Gandhi is meeting top party leaders here Monday morning to take a decision on supporting Shiv Sena in government formation in Maharashtra.

"A meeting of the special committee on Maharashtra is underway," a Congress functionary said adding that the composition of the committee is similar to that of the working committee.

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A large section of the 44 newly elected MLA of the Congress are in favour of supporting a Shiv Sena-led government after it decided to walk out of the BJP-led NDA.

"Whatever instructions the high command will give, we will follow," AICC General Secretary Mallikarjun Kharge said here.

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Kharge met Congress MLAs who have been shifted to a resort near Jaipur as a preemptive measure to guard against any poaching attempts by the BJP.

An overwhelming section -- 40 of the 44 legislators -- have expressed their desire to support the Shiv Sena, which had received the invitation from Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to form the government after the BJP expressed its inability citing lack of numbers.