)
Sources said that economist-turned-politician Bhalchandra Mungekar mooted the idea of simultaneous polls but Gurudas Kamat and some other members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to it. Gandhi gave signals that the Congress can compromise to a limit while dealing with the NCP, its ally of 15 years in Maharashtra, and indicated that the party was being revamped to make it fighting fit for the Lok Sabha elections.
The indication came at a meeting with party MPs from Maharashtra who cautioned about NCP expanding its base far and wide.
A section of MPs also told Gandhi that the Congress cannot trust its alliance partner as NCP chief Sharad Pawar can spring a surprise at the last moment, sources said. Some members felt that Pawar's party cannot be relied upon for the assembly polls.
