New Delhi: Ahead of crucial Maharashtra elections, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (Nationalist Communist Party) today (August 3, 2004) managed to douse the fires of dissidence by winning over a sulking former Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal and two other leaders and initiated the process of an alliance with Congress for the Assembly polls.

Party leader and Union Minister Praful Patel had a meeting with Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi who would be deputing soon party leaders for talks with NCP on alliance and seat sharing issues.

"It (being upset) is a closed chapter now. We will face the elections unitedly", Bhujbal told reporters in the presence of Maharashtra NCP chief and Home Minister R R Patil after a marathon meeting of top State ministers including senior Ministers with Pawar.

Bhujbal, who belongs to influential Mali community, and is the OBC (Other Backward Class) face of the party dominated by the Marathas, had been feeling sidelined since he ceased to be the top NCP leader in the Government last year under controversial circumstances.

He kept away from a party meeting in Mumbai on Sunday, where party chief Sharad Pawar dared dissidents to leave the party.

Two other sulking leaders Tribal Welfare Minister Madhukar Pitchad and former Minister Lakshman Dhobale, also attended today's meet.

Another highlight of the strategy meet was the NCP asking the Democratic Front Government in the State to take "immediate and important" decisions giving waiver of interest on loans to farmers hit by recurrent drought as also free power to the farm sector.