"Ready for every challenge...I-N-D-I-A will win," says Mallikarjun Kharge after meeting with Sharad Pawar

Pic/Twitter@kharge

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital at his residence on Thursday.

On the occasion, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.

Mallikarjun Kharge later posted pictures of his meeting with Sharad Pawar on X (formerly known as Twitter), and said "Today, along with Shri Rahul Gandhi ji, met NCP President Shri Sharad Pawar ji to further raise the voice of the people of the country."

"We are ready for every challenge," he said while using INDIA bloc's tagline - 'Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA (India will unite, INDIA will win).

After the meeting was concluded, Sharad Pawar also took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and said, "Paid a courtesy visit to INC President MP Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence. MP Rahul Gandhi, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad and Gurdeep Sapal, INC CWC Member were also present for the meeting."

Friday's discussions come after a joint public meeting of the INDIA alliance in Bhopal in October was cancelled. It could not be held following opposition by Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath over statements by DMK leaders, including Udhayanidhi Stalin, against 'Sanatan Dharma', sources told news agency PTI.

Some opposition leaders are suggesting that the next meeting of the INDIA opposition leaders be held in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India is hearing the pleas by the Sharad Pawar faction and Ajit Pawar-led faction of NCP today over claims on the party name and symbol. Ajit Pawar earlier in July approached the Election Commission staking claim to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol amid a feud between the two factions.

Later, the Election Commission wrote to both factions of the party acknowledging the split and also directed both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar to share documents, submitted to the polling body, with each other.

Today is the first hearing of the case before ECI. The Commission in July also issued a show-cause notice to the NCP group led by Sharad Pawar following a petition filed by the Ajit Pawar faction. The petition claimed that Ajit Pawar should be declared NCP president and should be allotted the party's symbol as per the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)