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The split in the Congress in Maharashtra following the expulsion of Sharad Pawar gathered momentum with several supporters of the former defence minister pledging their open support to him and some actually resigning from party positions today.

Madhukar Pichad, the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, who is undergoing ayurvedic treatment in Kerala, telephonically conveyed his support to Pawar, while his counterpart in the council, Chhagan Bhujbal, has already made known his allegiance to him.

Bhujbal's official residence in south Bombay has become the hub for pro-Pawar activities.

Meanwhile, the Congress member of the dissolved Lok Sabha from Kolhapur, Sadhashiv Mandlik, has resigned from the party. He is the third MP to have resigned from the Congress following the working committee's decision to expel Pawar. The other two, Sudhakar Naik and Datta Meghe, resigned yesterday.

State Congress spokesman Vasant Chavan also announced his resignation from the post today, calling the CWC decision anti-democratic.

Talking to reporters at Bhujbal's residence, Chavan, who retains the post of Congress Legislative Party spokesman, said 60 per cent of Congress legislators out of the total 103 (77 in the assembly and 26 in the council) are with Pawar.

Pawar, who is arriving in Bombay late tonight from Pune, will meet party legislators at A-10, Chhagan Bhujbal's bungalow near Mantralaya, tomorrow morning.

A meeting of prominent party workers of the state supporting Pawar has been convened at 3pm at the Y B Chavan Centre nearby. Pawar will address the meeting.

UNI

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