Crucial NCP meeting today

Sharad Pawar to hold consultations with senior party colleagues to decide the future course of action

A crucial meeting of the NCP is being held this afternoon in the wake of the stand-off with the Congress that has seen the UPA constituent deciding to pull out of the government.

Party chief Sharad Pawar will hold consultations with senior party colleagues to decide the future course of action.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had sought to persuade Pawar not to press further for the resignation and held his party as a "valued" ally.

AICC has also expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved.

Last week, NCP decided to pull out of the UPA government and support it from outside in protest against the way the party was treated by Congress.

Pawar and the only other representative in the Union Cabinet Praful Patel have informed the Prime Minister that they are tendering their resignation.

In a separate communication to Gandhi, Pawar has said NCP, which has nine members in the Lok Sabha and seven in the Rajya Sabha, will stay part of the UPA.