NCP chief Sharad Pawar will hold district-wise meetings with the party's local leaders starting June 13 to identify potential candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, sources said Tuesday.
According to a party statement, state NCP president Jayant Patil, senior leaders of the party like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar and others will also attend the meetings, which will be held on June 14, June 15, June 21 and June 23 too.
The NCP has invited its sitting and former MLAs and MPs, state office-bearers, mayors and ex-mayors and others holding party positions.
The NCP had won 41 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls, while it won five seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, including four from Maharashtra.
"In the meetings, the NCP president will seek opinions and identify probable candidates for the Assembly polls," a party insider said.
The leader said the party may get 144 seats as its share out of the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra as part of the understanding with the Congress.
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From the seats in its quota, it is likely to give around 20 segments to other allies.
"We have 41 sitting MLAs. The party may field young faces on another 40 seats. Pawar has already talked about giving opportunity to young generation," the leader added.
On June 13, Pawar will meet party representatives from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Mira- Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Palghar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Ulhasnagar and Ratnagiri districts.
A day later, he will hold parleys with leaders from Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Malegaon, Nandurbar and Ahmednagar.
Pawar will speak to local leaders from Satara, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kolhapur, Solapur and Sangli on June 15.
On June 21, the NCP president will hold discussions with party men from Vidarbha region covering Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur and Bhandara-Gondia.
He is scheduled to meet functionaries from Aurangabad, Parbhani, Jalna, Hingoli, Beed, Nanded, Latur and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada on June 23.