Vidarbha, Apr. 10 : UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and NCP President Sharad Pawar on Friday shared the stage in Vidarbha indicating that despite opposing each other in almost all states, the Congress and the NCP bond will remain strong in Maharashtra.

"We will not let communal poison seep in the soil of Vidarbha. We don't want communal forces to lead Indian and in that direction we have tied up with the NCP, a secular political party," Gandhi said while addressing the rally in Gondiya.

Bhandara (Maharashtra), Apr 10 : UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawar will address a joint rally at Sakoli in Maharashtra''s Bhandara District today.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is contesting the Bhandara-Gondia parliamentary seat.

Sonia is also scheduled to address election meetings for her party candidates -Naresh Pugalia (Chandrapur), Haribhau Rathod (Yavatmal) and Mukul Wasnik (Ramtek).

Vidarbha will go to the polls in the first phase on April 16.

Nagpur, Apr. 6 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi has decided to forgo a campaign rally and hold a road show in Nagpur.

Vilas Muttemwar, the Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, who is seeking his fourth term from Nagpur, revealed this change of plan.

On April 10, Gandhi will be on a brief tour to Vidarbha region and launch a campaign for Congress and NCP candidates.

The first candidate happens to be Union Civil Aviation Minister and senior NCP leader Praful Patel, who represents the Bhandara-Gondia constituency.

Mumbai, Apr. 6 : Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh has claimed that an associate of underworld don Chhota Rajan has given him a threatening call, and asked him to stay away from his party colleague Abu Asim Azmi.

"I have informed Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, home minister Jayant Patil and also the National Security Advisor about the threat," Singh told reporters in Mumbai.

Singh demanded security for himself, Azmi, Jaya Bachchan and actor Sanjay Dutt.

Shirdi (Maharashtra), Apr 5 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani on Sunday visited Sai Baba temple at Shirdi in Maharashtra.

Advani offered prayers at the temple for the party’s victory in upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP leader said his party has always been a crusader for the overall development of the country.

Pune, Apr 4 : Grape growers in Maharashtra are loosing their business due to wineries canceling their contracts as a consequence of declining demand for Indian wines.

In 58 wineries of Maharashtra, the wine produced last year is still lying unsold. As a result, the wineries have reduced production. The farmers are unable to even get Rs. 24-30 per kg for grapes, which they were getting earlier.