Two leaders who did not see eye to eye buried the hatchet on Gandhi Jayanti. Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi and NCP leader Ajit Pawar met over lunch at the former’s Pune home, vowing to start afresh and strengthen their alliance for the Assembly elections.

“It was a very successful meeting. This meeting should settle all skirmishes in the party and we should go out as one to campaign for the elections,” Pawar said in Kalmadi’s presence. Both looked happy and shook hands before they parted.

This was a significant move considering the large rebellion among Congress and NCP leaders over seat sharing and denial of tickets.

Ajit Pawar said the meeting should send right signals across both parties and workers. “We should campaign together and forget all differences in the larger interest of the alliance,” he said. He conceded mistakes had been committed by both sides but now they want to look ahead; Kalmadi shook his head and smiled.

Reactions were mixed among workers of the two parties. State Congress spokesperson Sanjay Dutt said, “Our party was always forthcoming, it was the NCP who tied up with the saffron alliance at the local level. This move will help strengthen our alliance and help us battle the communal parties,” he said. The NCP’s district spokesperson, Ankush Kakade said it was good that the past was buried and it is good for the elections.

Another Congress leader said, it remains to be seen whether both sides would really stay true to the alliance as promised. A NCP leader who was disgruntled at losing a seat to the Congress stayed away from the meet. “I am not interested,” he said.