Sharad Pawar, Ashok Chavan for joint election campaign

MUMBAI: A transformation from one of initial hostility to ostentatious bonhomie seems to be the trajectory of Congress-NCP relationship in Maharashtra. Over the next one month or so, the two alliance partners would be seen sharing stage frequently during the course of their ���joint��� election campaign with an avowed intention to end the phase of mistrust and aggressive posturing that had marked their seat-sharing talks.

To begin with, NCP head honcho Sharad Pawar and chief minister Ashok Chavan would together address a few public meetings over the weekend in Pune, Parbhani and Mumbai, Congress-NCP sources told ET. The joint campaign has been planned to enthuse the party grass-roots against the backdrop of prolonged negotiations between the two parties that had caused a near-breakdown at several points.

As Congress leader and industry minister Narayan Rane told ET on Thursday, the alliance partners would go all out in their efforts to allay whatever ���misunderstanding��� that still existed between them. ���We would be campaigning together across the state not only to present a picture of solidarity before the voters, but also send out a strong message to our rivals,��� Mr Rane said. Mr Rane himself would feature in some of these joint public meetings that would witness Congress leaders canvass for the NCP nominees and NCP returning the favour in the Congress constituencies.

This ���all is well that ends well��� episode promises to feature interesting dramatis personae. For instance, Mr Pawar would be addressing a meeting on Saturday, along with Mr Chavan, in support of the Congress nominee from Pune, Suresh Kalmadi who is his bitter rival. ���This is basically to allay the perception that the NCP was dead against Mr Kalmadi���s candidature. Mr Pawar would not only be dismissing this speculation, but also asking NCP workers to join their Congress counterparts to ensure victory for Mr Kalmadi,��� an NCP functionary explained.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai on Sunday, Mr Pawar and Mr Chavan would share the platform again at a joint meeting of the Congress-NCP workers. This is close on the heels of a similar meeting that the Opposition BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had last week.