Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s appeal to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to merge with Congress may not have cut much ice in the past. But according to sources, this time things are different. The ongoing developments in New Delhi are not just about replacing Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan with someone else but, sources allege, there is more than what meets the eye. Sources claim that the Congress and NCP are discussing modalities of a possible merger of the two parties.

Peace operation: NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi seem all set to challenge the BJP and Shiv Sena in the upcoming State elections.  File Photos

Quite a few eyebrows may have raised over NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s statement on Friday where he claimed that the Congress wanted him to lead the State assembly polls on behalf of both the parties. Apparently, it is part of a big game plan in the offing to put a formidable challenge before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena in the state assembly elections in October.