<p>Amid speculation about a possible change of guard in Maharashtra ahead of Assembly elections, senior Congress leaders A K Antony and Ahmed Patel on Thursday met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The meeting, which lasted for nearly half an hour, comes in the backdrop of intense speculation that Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan may be replaced.<br /><br />Names of senior leaders like former Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, a Dalit face of the party in Maharashtra, and state Revenue Minister Balsaheb Thorat besides that of state Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil are doing the rounds as successor to Chavan.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Patangrao Kadam, state Environment and Forest Minister, met senior Congress leaders.<br /><br />There is also a view in the party that change of guard at this juncture, three months away from an Assembly election, need to be looked into.<br /><br />Seat-sharing talks for Assembly elections are also to begin now.<br /></p>
<p>Amid speculation about a possible change of guard in Maharashtra ahead of Assembly elections, senior Congress leaders A K Antony and Ahmed Patel on Thursday met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The meeting, which lasted for nearly half an hour, comes in the backdrop of intense speculation that Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan may be replaced.<br /><br />Names of senior leaders like former Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, a Dalit face of the party in Maharashtra, and state Revenue Minister Balsaheb Thorat besides that of state Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil are doing the rounds as successor to Chavan.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Patangrao Kadam, state Environment and Forest Minister, met senior Congress leaders.<br /><br />There is also a view in the party that change of guard at this juncture, three months away from an Assembly election, need to be looked into.<br /><br />Seat-sharing talks for Assembly elections are also to begin now.<br /></p>