A small group of corporators today went to Mumbai to express their solidarity with Pawar. Most of the shocked party corporators have taken a cautious stand, refusing to align themselves with Pawar at present.

The local party leaders believe that the number of corporators, who might side with Pawar in the case of his expulsion from the party or his defection, would not cross ten.

Two members of the dissolved Lok Sabha - Vitthal Tupe and Ashok Mohol - along with party MLAs in the district today went to Mumbai to participate in the meeting convened by Pawar. Sources said two Congress MLAs former, minister Anantrao Thopte and Narayan Pawar, did not attend the meeting.

Another prominent party leader Ramkrishna More, a member of the Legislative Council, also stayed away from the meeting.

A number of party corporators, who have been supporting Pawar for years, are of the view that Pawar should not have raised the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin at such a crucial moment. Several leaders on the another hand, are not surprised by Pawar's letter to the Congress Working Committee.

They point out that Pawar had made a statement in Kolhapur last week that Congressmen were eager to accept Priyanka Gandhi as the party leader. ``There was no reason to make such a statement,'' said a prominent party leader adding that the statement was an indication of Pawar's line ofaction.

Pawar's letter, however, has brought life into Suresh Kalmadi's Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). MVA corporators believe that Sonia Gandhi may admit Kalmadi in the party in case of Pawar's expulsion or defection. They feel that Pawar was a major hurdle in Kalmadi's return to Congress.