Former Congress leader PC Chacko to meet NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar, likely to join NCP

PC Chacko, a former Congress leader from Kerala, will meet NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday amid reports that he could join the party. The meeting assumes significane as it comes just ahed of the Assembly polls in Kerala.

“I’m meeting Sharad Pawar. Whatever crisis the party is facing, it needs to be discussed. I’m also meeting Sitaram Yechury & GN Azad to discuss the future course of action. I need to extend my support to LDF. I’ll decide (on joining) after meeting Pawar sahab,” Chako told news agency ANI.

Sources add that Sharad Pawar may also speak to dissenting ‘G23’ Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. The NCP is in alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra where the pair run the Maha Vikas Aghadi government along with the Shiv Sena.

Ahead of Assembly elections in Kerala, Congress has suffered a major blow after senior leader PC Chacko on March 10 announced his resignation from the party and said that there is groupism practiced by top leaders.

“I have quit Congress and sent my resignation to party’s interim chief Sonia Gandhi. I had been deliberating upon this decision for the past many days. I come from Kerala where there’s no Congress party as such. There are 2 parties – Congress (I) and Congress (A). It’s a coordination committee of 2 parties functioning as KPCC,” Chacko said.

Chacko is an influential leader from Kerala. A former working committee member of the Congress, Chacko was elected to Loksabha from Thrissur (1991), Mukundapuram (1996), Idukki (1998 ) and Thrissur (2009).