Maharashtra CM meets MVA legislators ahead of budget session

Ahead of the MaharashtraAssembly's budget session next month, Chief Minister UddhavThackeray has started meeting legislators of the ruling ShivSena-NCP-Congress coalition.

The interaction assumes significance in the backdropof possibility of an election to the Assembly Speaker's postduring the budget session, scheduled to begin on March 1.

Congress's Nana Patole resigned from the Speaker'spost on February 4 and later took charge as the state partypresident.

According to sources, Thackeray met the rulingcoalition's legislators from Pune and Nagpur divisions overdinner at his official residence 'Varsha' in Mumbai on Tuesdaynight.

Nearly 70 per cent legislators from the two divisionswere present as the meeting was convened at a short notice, asenior leader of the coalition told PTI on Wednesday.

''It was just an interaction with legislators.

Normally, it is a norm that chief ministers meet all rulingparty legislators. This is for the first time Thackerayundertook such an exercise,'' he said.

State Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is an NCPleader, and PWD Minister Ashok Chavan of the Congress werealso present in the meeting as representatives of the theirparties, which are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

''It was a general interaction with MLAs and MLCs ofthe Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress,'' a source said.

Thackeray is scheduled to meet legislators from theAmravati and Aurangabad divisions on Wednesday night andlawmakers from the Nashik and Konkan divisions, includingMumbai, on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)